Caring Bird Consultancy LTD

Updated 31 May 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 Act.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by an inspector and an 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. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 18 May 2022 and ended on 19 May 2022. We visited the service’s office on 18 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in their provider information return. 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 four people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and a selection of medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 31 May 2022

About the service

Caring Bird Consultancy LTD is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 25 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of personal care. CQC can only inspect where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people do receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided. There were 22 people receiving personal care at the time of this inspection.

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

People were happy with the care they received. They told us they felt safe when receiving care from the service. People’s care visits took place at consistent times, to suit their preferences. There were systems in place to ensure people’s medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risk of infection. Staff knew how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and risks to people were assessed and mitigated.

Before people started using the service, their needs and preferences were assessed, to ensure the service could provide the level of care each person wanted. 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 were supported by staff who received training to ensure they had the right knowledge and skills to support people effectively.

People were treated well by staff who were kind and caring. The service had measures in place to support people to feel comfortable with staff. Everyone we spoke with provided positive feedback about how friendly and caring the staff were. One relative commented, “They are all exceptional carers. [My relative] is always so happy to see them. The carers chat with my relative and make them laugh and smile; that is what [my relative] needs and enjoys.”

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People told us their preferences were respected and the staff knew them well. People felt able to raise any issues or concerns with the staff if they needed to. The provider had a suitable system in place to manage and act on any complaints.

The service had an open, positive culture. There were suitable systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager regularly sought feedback from people and their relatives to ensure the service was tailored to their needs and preferences. Staff were well supported by the registered manager. Everyone we spoke with told us they would recommend the service as it delivered good quality care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 9 July 2020 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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