Bluebird Care (Bromsgrove & Redditch)

Updated 4 April 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a planned inspection in line with the scheduled re-inspection dates for services rated as good.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience (ExE), who made telephone calls to people who used the service and relatives of people who used the service. An ExE is a person who has experience of, or has supported someone who has used, a service similar to this one.

Service and service type:

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults.

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 5 days’ notice of the inspection site visit because the service is a domiciliary service and we needed to be sure there would be someone at the office. We also requested the provider to detail a list of people who could be contacted by telephone to gain their views of the service.

Inspection site visit activity started on 12 February 2019 and ended on 14 February 2019. We visited the office location on 12 February 2019 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

We did not request a PIR (provider Information return) before the inspection from the provider due to the short notice in arranging the inspection date. The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed safeguarding alerts and notifications that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the nominated individual/ owner of the service; two care coordinators and a lead care supervisor. We visited three people in their own homes and spoke to them and their relatives. The ExE spoke on the telephone with five people who used the service and five relatives of people who used the service. We looked at a range of records, both in paper form and those stored electronically. We examined three care records of people who used the service, medicine records, staff recruitment and training records and a range of other policies and quality monitoring documents.

Updated 4 April 2019

About the service:

Bluebird Care (Bromsgrove & Redditch) is a domiciliary care provider supporting people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were supporting 77 people, 47 of whom were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People using the service benefitted from outstanding care, delivered in a manner which was personal to them and based on their assessed needs. People we spoke with praised both the care workers and the management of the service for their dedication and high quality of care. We spoke with 13 people and relatives, all of who told us they were exceptionally happy with the support they received, rated the service as outstanding, frequently scoring it as ten out of ten, and would highly recommend the provider to other people. One person told us, “It could not be better. Runs excellently in my opinion.”

People told us they felt safe when being supported with care and said all the care staff worked in a way that respected their privacy and dignity. They told us they looked on care staff as friends and welcomed them onto their homes. The service had a culture of treating people in the manner staff would like their own relatives cared for. This ethos was infused throughout the service, including care staff, office staff and the provider. Staff told us they felt valued by the organisation and said Bluebird Care (Bromsgrove and Redditch) was very different to other companies they had worked for. One care worker told us, “They care about staff as well as the customers. I think they are outstanding because they are amazing - we are one big family.”

People told us staff often went beyond their scheduled duties, supporting them by doing extra work in the home or helping them deal with correspondence or arranging appointments. People also told us the service would take on the responsibility of arranging additional equipment or services. Some staff supported people outside their normal working hours. The provider operated an open-door policy and people and relatives told us they could visit the office base at any time for a chat and a coffee. The service also ran regular coffee mornings to support people with socialisation and allow them to meet with staff informally. Additionally, the service held an annual Christmas party. People told us they enjoyed these events.

Staff told us they were very happy working for the service. They confirmed they could access a range of training and development opportunities and were well supported by senior staff in the organisation. They felt there was an extremely positive culture in the organisation and felt valued.

More information about the service is contained in the full report

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated as good.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on previous rating. The service remains good but is rated outstanding in care.

Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with schedule for those services rated as Good.