Bluebird Care Oswestry

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred 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.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. People, their relatives and staff all felt listened to by the service. Everyone felt their views were valued and respected. People were encouraged to provide feedback on the care they received, and this helped shape their service. Staff were encouraged to complete a staff survey, and their responses were fed back to them in a newsletter with specific actions including what to do to discuss issues affecting them.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Everyone we spoke with including people, relatives and staff found the management team to be open, receptive and supportive. One staff member told us they could go into the office at any time, and they were confident they would not only be welcomed but they could discuss anything that was on their mind. The management team acted promptly when concerns were raised with them. For example, if staff behaviour was below what was expected they had systems in place to drive improvements.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Everyone felt able to openly speak up about anything that concerned them. One person told us they felt one staff member could interact with them better. This was addressed and it appeared to be a miscommunication which was quickly resolved. The person told us they now love seeing this staff member and look forward to their call. Staff members knew the relevant policies and procedures which directed their work including the whistleblowing policy.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. The management team took action to improve where there were perceived disparities in the experience of staff with protected equality characteristics. One staff member stated they felt they were treated equally. They said managers checked with them when there was a potential for discrimination. There was no issue, but they felt supported that this had been recognised and addressed at the first opportunity.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. Managers had effective quality checks in place to ensure people received the care they consented to. For example, regular checks were completed on the administration of medicines to ensure people received them as prescribed. Staff told us they received regular spot checks to ensure they arrived on time and provided care in accordance with people’s wishes.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People were supported by staff and the management team to engage with their local communities and partners. This included GP’s, District Nurses and others involved in their care and support. This supported them to remain in control of their own care and supported their own independence.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe and effective practice. The management team reviewed incidents, accidents or dangerous occurrences to see if anything could be done differently. They shared learning across other parts of the organisation to ensure lessons learnt were cascaded to others to help improve care. For example, following a check on a staff member’s right to work a potential gap was identified in practice. This was cascaded to others to ensure this was not an issue for future recruitment in the service.