Background to this inspection
Updated
29 February 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
Two inspectors carried out this inspection.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager who had begun the process to register with the Care Quality Commission. This means, once registered, 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
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications about significant events and information from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, manager and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at a variety of records related to the management of the service, including survey results and quality checks.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data.
Updated
29 February 2020
About the service
Bluebird Care (Lancaster and South Lakeland) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care, home help and companionship to people with a variety of needs. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting 63 people.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us the service was safe. Staff understood how to keep people safe and who to report any concerns to. The service managed risks appropriately. Where something went wrong, the provider used this as a learning opportunity to make improvements and reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again.
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. People received effective support from staff who received a thorough induction and training to prepare them for their roles. The service worked with other agencies and supported people to maintain good health and access healthcare services.
People were very positive about the caring approach of staff. Staff recognised, respected and valued people as individuals. People received support from a consistent staff team which enabled them to get to know each other well and build good caring relationships.
People received care and support that was personalised to them. Staff used detailed assessments to identify people’s needs and preferences and worked to ensure people were happy with their care.. If people were not happy, they were confident they could speak with staff to make improvements. The service made sure people were supported to communicate and staff supported people to avoid social isolation.
The service was led by a manager and senior staff who people and staff described as approachable and caring. The culture at the service was open and inclusive. Senior staff understood their responsibilities and monitored the quality of the service using a range of systems. Where areas for improvement were identified, the manager took action to make improvements.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 19 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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.