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Archived: Walter Manny Ltd t/a Bluebird Care (Taunton)

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

2nd Floor, 50-52 High Street, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3PR (01823) 331194

Provided and run by:
Walter Manny Limited

Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

17 & 18 December 2014

During a routine inspection

This inspection was announced and took place on 17 and 18 December 2014.

Walter Manny Limited t/a Bluebird Care (Taunton) provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing a personal care service to 50 people. This included people receiving live in care and people receiving packages of care at the end of their life.

There is 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.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the agency which was to provide a service which was influenced by the needs and wishes of the people who used it. There was a commitment to providing high quality care which was tailored to people’s individual wishes. Their vision and values were communicated to staff through staff meetings, supervisions and a regular newsletter. People’s views were gathered by regular monitoring visits and phone calls and by satisfaction surveys.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care and plan on-going improvements. These included regular audits of records and spot checks on care provided in people’s homes. The agency looked for ways to develop the service using up to date research and piloting new ways of working.

Staff had a good knowledge of the needs and preferences of the people which enabled them to provide personalised care. One person told us “I don’t have to tell them what to do. They know me well and know what I like.” Staff provided information to people using the service and to their carers to enable them to meet the needs of the whole person not just to meet their physical needs.

People told us they felt safe with all the staff who supported them. There were clear risk assessments which meant care was provided in a way that minimised risks. One person said “I feel utterly safe with all of the staff.” Another person told us “I know I’m safe with everyone who comes to my house.” Staff were aware of how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse and all were confident that any concerns would be fully investigated.

People received care and support in line with their needs and wishes because adequate numbers of staff were employed. There were contingency plans in place if staff were unable to carry out their visits. Staff were well trained and competent in their roles. One person told us “They are very competent and definitely know how to do their job.” A relative said “They are very professional. Always smart and very efficient.”

More than one person told us they would like to have more regular staff visiting them to assist with their personal care. When we raised this with the registered manager they immediately began to look at ways that this could be achieved for people.

People knew how to make a complaint and people said they would be comfortable to do so. One person told us “They always check if you are happy with everything. I would definitely complain if I wasn’t.” A relative said “They ring me monthly. I can say what I feel and they have definitely sorted out any concerns I’ve had.”

Care plans were personalised to each individual and contained information to assist staff to provide care in a manner that respected their wishes. One relative told us how they had devised the care plan with staff from the agency. They told us “The care plan is a real step by step guide for each call. It means they get exactly what is right for them.”

 

14 November 2013

During a routine inspection

There were 41 people who used the service on the day of our visit. We spoke with four people who used the service and two family members and saw four support plans. We also spoke with five members of staff. People we spoke with said 'staff are very caring', 'very respectful' and 'willing'. Other comments included 'they try to do us very well', 'lovely girls' and 'I've recommended them to quite a few people because I've never had a problem'.

We saw that the given consent was reviewed every six months when the support plans were reviewed; support plans were also reviewed if there were any changes to the support people needed. People we spoke with said that they could ring the office anytime if they had any queries and one person said 'they rearrange things very quickly and send someone out for the whole day if necessary'.

Staff we spoke with said that the support plans provided them with the information they needed to be able to carry out their duties. We observed staff providing support to people; there was evidence of positive interactions between them and people enjoyed the company of their carers.

The current manager at Bluebird Care will be leaving shortly and the company is at the interview stage with other candidates. The current manager will continue working one day per week doing quality assurance, so there should be a brief handover period with old and new managers both available. The manager was aware of their responsibility to inform CQC.

7 January 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with four carers of people who use the service who told us that the service was well organised and focussed on the needs of the person using the service. One person said that "they will do their utmost to do what we want", "they always go the extra mile to make sure we are satisfied". Another person said "they discussed the care plan in great detail to make sure every angle was covered, we are completely satisfied with their service we receive". Staff were described as "friendly, approachable and well trained".

We observed the way in which visits were planned and tracked and saw that this enabled managers to ensure that visits were timely and contingencies were well managed.

We spoke with four staff members who described their induction as comprehensive and the support they receive from their supervisor as excellent. We observed records that confirmed that induction was thorough and that supervision was undertaken regularly.

We looked at records of care provided and saw that they were written in a person centred way which described individual needs and preferences.

We spoke with the manager who outlined the quality monitoring arrangements in place that ensured that there was regular assessment and monitoring of the service that people received.