Bluebird Care West Dorset

Updated 3 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector who visited the location office and an Expert by Experience who made calls to people using the service. 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post and a care manager who supported the on-site inspection, we will refer to them as, ‘manager’ throughout this report.

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

Inspection activity started on 19 May 2023 and ended on 24 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 22 May 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority service improvement and safeguarding teams. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and received feedback from 12 members of staff including the registered manager, care manager, care team lead, care co-ordinator, care workers and the provider.

We received feedback from 2 health and social care professionals on their experience of working with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 3 June 2023

About the service

Bluebird Care West Dorset is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own houses and flats. The service provides support to people in the Purbecks and West Dorset. At the time of our inspection there were 34 people receiving personal care and support.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support

At our last inspection, although no impact or harm, risk assessments for people’s care and support were not detailed enough to keep them safe. Improvements had now been made and risks to people’s safety and wellbeing had been identified, assessed and actions to mitigate were in place. Instructions for staff to follow were clear.

Staff knew people well and risk assessments covered all aspects of their daily care and support. Clear instructions for staff contributed to safe working practices. People told us they were happy with the service they received from Bluebird Care West Dorset.

There were enough staff to meet the needs of the service. Recruitment processes were in place to ensure staff had the necessary checks before starting work with the service. However, we found some gaps in employment history had not been explored, the manager and provider acted immediately to obtain the missing information.

People were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team who knew how to raise safeguarding concerns both within the service and outside. Staff told us they were confident their concerns would be acted upon by the management team.

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. Staff told us they promoted independence every day for people. People told us they felt respected by the staff and the service.

Right Care

People received their medicines as prescribed. Medicines management within the service was monitored and staff had received training including assessment of their competency. The manager was in the process of providing guidance for medicines people only needed to take occasionally. An electronic care planning and medicines system supported safety, as changes to medicine regimes were made without delay.

People were protected from the risk of avoidable infection. Staff had received training in infection prevention and control. The service had an annual statement which detailed their procedure to ensure safety. This included the provision of person protective equipment (PPE) for staff. The policy and guidance were in line with government and best practice guidance.

Accidents and incidents were recorded, analysed for themes and trends. Quarterly reviews of events looked for patterns and lessons learned. Governance systems were in place and supported oversight of the service. Leadership was visible and staff knew their roles and responsibilities. A range of audits supported quality assurance and were multi-layered.

Right Culture

The registered manager understood their statutory responsibilities and had made notifications to CQC as required by law. Staff felt appreciated by the service, there were various ways the service showed thanks to their staff. The provider was passionate about their team and supporting staff to give the best care they could to people. Staff felt involved and regular team meetings ensured training reminders and updates could be communicated.

Bluebird Care West Dorset sought to involve themselves in their local community, which included charitable work and the allocation of grants to support local causes. The service worked well with external health and social care professionals, and we received positive feedback on joint working.

The service actively sought feedback on the service it provides, and results of an annual survey were positive. The management team of Bluebird Care West Dorset was said to be approachable, visible, and supportive.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good overall, with a rating of requires improvement in the safe key question. This was because people’s risk assessments were not robust enough to keep them safe (published 18 September 2018).

Why we inspected

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

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained as good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

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