This announced inspection took place on the 06 and 07 September 2018. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because the service provides domiciliary care and support to people living in their own homes and we wanted to make sure staff would be available to talk to us about the service. Bluebird Care is a domiciliary care agency registered to provider personal care to people living in their own homes. The service currently provides care and support to 33 people. This was the first inspection of this service since registering with the Care Quality Commission on 07 December 2016.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were safe because they were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff had a good understanding of how to spot signs of abuse and how to report concerns. Individual risks were assessed and staff knew how to minimise the risks to people. People received their medication as prescribed.
People’s consent was sought before staff provided support. People were supported to make their own decisions and were given choices. Staff were aware of how to protect people from the spread of infection and wore personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring. People were supported to maintain their privacy and dignity and were encouraged to remain as independent as possible.
People and their relatives were involved in the assessment, planning and reviews of their care. Where changes had occurred, their care plans and risk assessments reflected these changes and staff were aware of them. People and relatives knew how to raise concerns and felt confident doing so.
Staff felt supported in their roles and felt able to approach the registered manager and the provider. There was a quality monitoring system in place. People and their relatives spoke positively about the registered manager.