Bluebird Care (Swale)

Updated 26 March 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support with personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 23rd February 2022 and ended on 3rd March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 24th February 2022, we spoke with people who use the service on 25th February and we spoke with staff from the service on 2nd and 3rd of March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed all information we hold on the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, head of care, care coordinator, a senior care assistant and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies and procedures and quality assurance records. We spoke with one professional who regularly visits the service.

Updated 26 March 2022

About the service

Bluebird Care (Swale) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 66 people using the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing support with personal care to 63 people with a range of needs such as older people, people with a learning disability and physically disabilities.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People we spoke with told us they all felt happy with the service provided from Bluebird Care (Swale). Feedback included, “I feel very safe with them here, [staff] look after me very well and they are very thoughtful.” and, “I’m really pleased with my service. I had it recommended to me and I would happily recommend to others, the carers are exceptional.”

Staff told us, “I love working for Bluebird. I’ve never worked in care before, but I can see myself doing this job for years and I wouldn’t want to do it for anyone else.” Staff fed back to us they were supported in their role by the registered manager and the office staff. They felt appropriately trained for their role and rewarded for working hard.

People had individual care plans and risk assessments that were tailored to their specific care and support needs. These care plans had been regularly reviewed and updated as required and people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Risks to people and staff had been identified and were recorded in detail to keep people safe. Staff had been through an appropriate recruitment process and there were appropriate numbers to assist people with their assessed care needs. People told us that their care visits were planned, and care staff arrived at the time they expected. Staff stayed for the durations to ensure people were well supported.

Systems and processes in place were relevant and appropriate and enabled the registered manager and head of care to have oversight of the quality of support being provided. There was an open approach to learning lessons from things which may have gone wrong and these were communicated to staff to minimise the risk of reoccurrence.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Based on our review of the safe and well led key questions the service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

•People’s care and support maximised people’s choice, control and independence

Right care:

• Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights

Right culture:

• The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the registered manager, senior staff and care staff ensured people using the service led confident, inclusive and empowered lives

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 12 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.