Bluewood Care Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

At our last inspection, the provider was in breach of the regulation as they had failed to operate effective systems and processes to maintain effective governance and oversight of the service. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations. The provider had implemented a range of quality audits and checks to drive forward improvements in the service. This demonstrated lessons had been learned. However, further time was needed to fully embed these systems to ensure they continued to improve the quality of the service provided. Staff told us they were able to speak up and described the management team as approachable. The provider worked in partnership with other professionals to achieve good outcomes for people.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff spoke positively about the changes made following the last inspection and demonstrated a commitment to continue driving forward improvements to ensure people received high quality care and support. Staff told us the management team were supportive and felt comfortable to speak up if unsure. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Whistleblowing and Freedom to Speak up policies and their responsibilities to raise any concerns immediately to keep people safe from harm.

Improvements were noted during this assessment, as staff received the support, guidance and training required for their roles and competency checks were completed to ensure their practice was in line with their training and best practice. However, further time was needed to ensure these processes are fully embedded and sustained, as we received feedback, some staff had not always carried out their tasks in line with their training or demonstrated they had retained these skills and knowledge. Team meetings were held regularly, and minutes evidenced the providers values, goals and actions to drive forward improvement were shared with staff. Staff were encouraged to offer suggestions and feedback on the progress the service had made. Policies were in place to promote equality, inclusion and the rights of people who use the service and employees.

Staff were positive about the changes made. Comments included, “Things have really improved since the last inspection. The new App is much better, and communication has also improved,” and “We took your feedback, worked on it, to make things better. The App is working well, and all staff have completed their training”. Staff spoke about the training they received and were confident in their roles. The registered manager had allocated a team leader to oversee each person’s package of care, alongside a core team of staff to provide consistency of care. Positive feedback was shared about this change and people felt it had enhanced the care and support they received.

Managerial oversight and governance of the service had improved since the last inspection, processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service although these needed further time to become fully embedded and sustained. The management team demonstrated a commitment to ensure the improvements made were sustained to ensure people consistently received safe care and achieved good outcomes. New staff received an induction and training to ensure they had the necessary skills for their role. For example, staff completed infection control, fire safety and catheter care. However, a robust process was not in place to ensure training was always effective based on the feedback gathered during this assessment. Staff told us they found the management team to be approachable and supportive and were available to them, when needed out of hours for any advice. Team meetings were used to discuss any concerns raised, share lessons learnt and to review and follow up on any previous actions introduced to drive forwards improvements in the service.

Staff told us they felt confident raising any concerns to the management team and were confident action would be taken to address these. Staff confirmed they attended team meetings and had the opportunities to share their views about the quality of the service. People and relatives were encouraged to raise complaints and concerns so they could be addressed, and the procedure and contact details had been shared with them. Feedback was also sought from people during phone calls and quality visits untaken by the management team.

The provider had sent out quality questionnaires to gather feedback from people and relatives. Responses contained positive feedback however, the provider needed to develop a means of clearly recording any actions taken to improve service delivery based on the feedback collated. The management team were supportive of our visit and shared information where they had identified further work was needed to continue driving forward improvements to enhance the quality of the service. The registered manager was open and receptive to our feedback and suggestions made during the visit from us. The Registered Manager understood the need to be open and honest when things went wrong in line with the responsibilities under the duty of candour.

Staff told us they felt included in decisions about the service and enjoyed working for the provider. All staff had received equality and diversity training. Staff said they worked together as a team and morale is good. The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in the workforce. A staff member told us, “They supported my need for flexible working when I was a student. Staff are asked at interview, and they do help us to balance home and work commitments, which is great”.

The provider’s policies promoted equality and diversity and a diverse staff team has been recruited to support people living at the service.

Staff understood how to report any incidents and the importance of doing so. Staff demonstrated an understanding of their roles and responsibilities and told us they received support through supervisions and regular team meetings. Staff felt the management team were accessible to them and told us, “The managers are supportive, they visit us on shift and also phone to check everything is ok”. Another, staff member said, “The last inspection was the wake-up managers needed, so much has changed”.

Systems and processes had been introduced to monitor the quality and safety of the service. This included audits of care records, staff competencies and checks on equipment. At the time of this assessment these processes were still being embedded by the management team and further time was needed to ensure they were sustained. Records were stored securely in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. The registered manager demonstrated a clearer understanding of the regulations and their responsibilities following our last inspection and the provider was now operating within the scope of their registration with the CQC. They had also kept us informed about important events within the service.

People and relatives said they were happy with the service they received and were positive about the staff who supported them.

Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people had the best outcomes for their health and wellbeing. This was confirmed by people and relatives.

The provider had been working closely with the ICB to make the necessary improvements to ensure the quality and safety of the service were made. Feedback shared was the management team were receptive to their advice and significant progress had been made.

People’s needs were assessed prior to the service starting to ensure they could meet people’s needs safely. Care records demonstrated staff closely monitored people’s health and wellbeing and reported any changes to ensure people received the right support quickly. Advice obtained by health and social care professionals was incorporated into people’s care plans.

Staff told us many improvements had been made following the last inspection for example in communication, training and care records which demonstrated lessons had been learnt. Staff spoke positively about the changes and were confident they had resulted in positive outcomes for the people they supported.

Improvements had been made since the last inspection. A range of quality audits and checks were in place to ensure people were supported to achieve good outcomes. For example, medicines, care records and safety checks on health equipment. Where these audits had been delegated, a process needed to be introduced to evidence managerial oversight was in place to ensure these checks were being completed and monitored. The provider had introduced regular team meetings for each core group of staff, and devised a ‘Getting to know you’ form which staff completed to check their understanding of how to support the person safely. This demonstrated the staff member’s understanding of the person needs including for example how and when to administer their rescue medicines and dial 999. The registered manager had taken the opportunity to reflect on the leadership and governance of the service and had made changes around the management structure, roles and responsibilities and had also employed a nurse to help strengthen the clinical input and managerial oversight into the service.