Bluebird Care (Torbay)

Updated 25 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 22, 23 and 26 November 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff would be available to speak with us. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience who made telephone calls to people using the service. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Before we visited the service we checked the information we held about the service and the service provider. This included any notifications and safeguarding alerts. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The inspection was informed by feedback from professionals which included the local borough contracts and commissioning teams that had placed people with the service, and the local authority safeguarding adult's team.

During our inspection we spoke with the registered provider, the registered manager, the care coordinator, and six care staff. We also met the deputy manager and training manager. During the inspection we spoke with eleven people over the telephone and three family members of people receiving a service. We visited five people in their own homes to ask them about their experience of the service provided to them.

We looked at seven care files which included care plans, risk assessments and medicine records. We looked at five staff files which included supervision records, appraisal records and recruitment records. We looked at records related to the running of the service including quality assurance records, audits, training information, and policies and procedures.

Updated 25 January 2019

This announced inspection took place on 22, 23 and 26 November 2018. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because the service provides care to people living in their own homes and we wanted to make sure staff would be available to speak with us.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Bluebird Care UK is a national franchise. A franchise is when a franchisee (the provider) has bought the rights to sell a specific company's products in a particular area using the company's name. Throughout the report we have referred to Bluebird Care (Torbay) as Bluebird Care.

Bluebird Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using Bluebird Care received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. The service currently supports 34 people in the community receiving a regulated activity.

At our last inspection we rated the service good.

At this inspection we rated the service as outstanding this was because the provider had made significant improvements to the service since the last inspection.

Why have we rated this service as Outstanding?

The service demonstrated a clear commitment to promoting a strong and visible person centred, caring culture by providing a service which put people at the heart of everything they did. Kindness, respect, dignity and compassion were key principles on which the service was built. The provider told us, “Delivering the highest standard of homecare and support is our absolute goal.”

People were extremely complimentary about Bluebird Care and the staff who supported them. Without exception, people said they received exceptionally high quality, compassionate care. People gave us a number of examples of where staff had gone ‘over and above’ what was required of them. One person said, “I couldn’t ask for better. They are all so lovely and very caring. They ‘mother’ me and make me feel special.” Another person told us, “The team are an essential part of my day. They let me know that someone out there, cares for me.”

Staff were highly motivated and spoke passionately about the people they supported and wanted to provide excellent care for people. One said, “I love my job. It’s all about making a difference.”

The service ensured each person was supported by a small team of staff which enabled people to build trusting relationships. This aspect of the service was very much appreciated by the people we spoke with. One person said, “They are very good at getting one of the staff I know well to go with me to appointments. I can relax and sit back. I value their support.”

People received personalised care which was delivered in accordance with their wishes and lifestyle. The management team carried out assessments which looked at people's interests and lifestyle choices as well as their needs. This enabled them to match people to staff who shared their values and therefore helped them to build relationships. For example, one person used to be a semi-professional musician. They were matched with a staff member who also had a strong interest in music. The staff member told us, “It helps that we both like talking about music and have a shared interest. Some days we just sit and have a chat. He’s very interesting and I love to hear about his time playing.”

The provider and staff were constantly looking at innovative ways in which they could enrich the lives of the people they supported and enhance their wellbeing. They had recently introduced ‘customer sparkle’. The provider told us, “The customer sparkle is a way of adding a little extra something to someone’s day. This could be a trip out, or anything of their choice, with their preferred care worker, totally free and on us.” Staff told us that each month they would nominate people, someone they felt needed that extra bit of ‘tender loving care’, to give them a couple of hours of their time to do whatever they wanted to do.

Outstanding care was provided to people because the service was well-led. People were at the heart of the service and this was truly reflected by the management. The registered manager and provider demonstrated clear visions and values and were passionate and committed to providing an excellent person-centred service for people and their relatives. These values were owned by staff who were equally committed and enthusiastic about fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in a way that delivered the best possible outcomes for people.

The service embraced innovation and continuous learning to improve care, ensure people were safe and enrich people's lives. The provider had robust systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Feedback was obtained from people using the service, relatives and the staff team. Any improvements that would benefit the people being supported and the staff team were driven forward by the provider, the management team and the staff.

The service had an excellent workplace culture for staff. Staff were highly valued by managers and their contributions were appreciated and celebrated. Staff told us they were proud to work at Bluebird Care and spoke very highly about the support they received, how the service was managed and the encouragement they received when suggesting improvements.

There was a clear commitment by the provider to employ the best possible staff who were well trained, had the right qualities and would always deliver an exceptional service. The provider's recruitment procedure ensured staff were thoroughly checked before they began work. People told us staff had the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to provide appropriate care for people. Appropriate numbers of staff were deployed to meet people's needs and provide continuity of care.

Staff at Bluebird Care were passionate about supporting community services and initiatives and had created positive links and a strong community presence within the local area. The service held regular free social events that people, who used the service could attend. These included Christmas parties, “bake off” events and afternoon teas for people who may be at risk of social isolation. This increased the positive relationships between people and staff.

People were protected from abuse and neglect. We found staff knew about risks to people and how to avoid potential harm. Risks related to people's care were assessed, recorded and mitigated. People felt safe with the staff who supported them.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were provided with assistance to eat and drink well, where this had been identified as a care need. There was collaborative working with various community healthcare professionals.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.