Bluebird Care (Rother & Hastings)

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people felt they were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People were treated with kindness, respect and dignity. People spoke highly about staff and felt staff showed compassion and understanding. Staff were kind and caring and we received consistently positive feedback from people and relatives. Comments included, “I really do not know what we would do without them. They are friendly, and I get on well with them” “They are caring but I think it’s a two-way thing. I show interest in them so its reciprocal” and “They are very kind and caring. They smile a lot and are supportive. They have good communication skills.” Relatives told us they were consulted and kept updated and involved in people’s care. Staff respected people and demonstrated a caring considerate approach to providing care and support. Staff supported people with dignity and compassion and spoke with fondness when talking to us about the people they supported.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People and families told us, “They go over and above.” People were encouraged and supported to continue with hobbies and pastimes they enjoyed. Staff were aware of people’s individual communication needs and information was recorded in care records to ensure staff were aware. Religious and cultural needs were seen in care plans to ensure people were supported appropriately and a member of care staff told us how they regularly supported one person to attend a church service. The registered manager told us about events which had taken place in the community to bring people together and help those at risk of loneliness or social isolation. People and families had been invited to charity coffee mornings, trips out to local landmarks, picnics in the park and other local events. The local supermarket provided Christmas hampers for people and connections had been built with a local pub with plans in place to support up to 10 pension age people who live on their own to go out for lunch. Supported by care staff if needed. A member of care staff had been supporting a person to attend a local choir and had since joined the choir themselves.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People who needed support to go out were supported to do so when possible. We saw a thank you received by the service from a person who staff had supported to attend a funeral. Office staff had amended the rota and arranged for a staff member to support the person to attend. This had enabled them to be able to pay their respects with the support of staff to maintain their safety. People felt that staff helped them to remain in their own homes and enabled them to continue to continue to have choice and control in how they lived their lives, maintaining hobbies and relationships that were important to them. People were supported to maintain their independence where it was safe to do so, we saw on daily records which demonstrated how a person was supported at mealtimes to enable them to eat independently.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People told us staff were well trained and are able to provide care which meets people’s individual needs. A family member told us, “We have equipment now (this wasn’t required initially) The community physio visits, and the carers now carry out the exercises with my husband.” Staff knew people well and recognised changes in people’s mental or physical health. Any changes were documented and reported to the office and further help from other health professionals was sorted if needed.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and their team. Comments included, “I enjoy the job; I have formed a bond with the people I work with. I feel part of a team.” “Yes, I do feel supported, it is the personal level, they talk to me. It’s professional but very caring, they actually care about us they go the extra mile” and “I am impressed by this company – I am proud to work for this company.” Staff received regular supervision and staff meetings had taken place regularly, this was an opportunity to share and discuss any changes or issues. There was also secure WhatsApp channels used for staffing rota changes, urgent things regarding people’s care, governance and training. This meant staff were updated promptly and aware of anything relevant in relation to the people they were supporting. The registered manager told us they tried to arrange staff events to bring staff together and improve wellbeing. This had included a ‘Soundbath’ which involved breathing exercises, six staff had attended with another session booked for February.