Bluebird Care (Fareham)

Updated 29 April 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at seven 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. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, head of operations, care co-ordinators, finance manager, carer and marketing manager.

After the inspection

We spoke to two people and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records.

Updated 29 April 2020

About the service

Bluebird Care Fareham is a domiciliary care agency providing personal to people in their own homes. At the time of inspection there were 50 people using the service.

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.

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

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.

There were appropriate policies and systems in place to protect people from abuse. Staff were confident any concerns they raised to the registered manager would be dealt with appropriately. Staff demonstrated they had a good knowledge of people and how to mitigate potential risks to them. The provider had some processes in place to learn from incidents and accidents. However, this learning was not always clearly evidenced.

All staff received training in infection control and staff confirmed they were supplied with enough gloves and aprons to carry out their work safely. There were safe medicines administration systems in place and people received their medicines as prescribed. People, relatives and staff confirmed that staff attended calls and were reliable.

There were robust and comprehensive assessments process in place to ensure people's needs could be met. People's nutritional needs were managed well. People and their relatives had confidence in the ability of staff and felt they were well trained

People and their relatives were positive about the care and support received. There was a strong emphasis on continuity of care and people and their relatives told us how much they valued this. The service had carefully considered people's human rights and support to maintain their individuality and independence. People and their relatives told us their views were listened to and they were involved in their plan of care.

People had regular staff who they knew well and provided support in line with their preferences. The service ensured information was available in different formats. People and their relatives told us they were confident that any concerns would be dealt with and any changes needed would be made but had no complaints.

People and their relatives had confidence in the service and the care provided. There was a clear and supportive staffing structure and lines of responsibility and accountability. Governance was fully embedded within the running of the service and the registered manager understood the importance of continuous development. People and their relatives told us they felt able to approach the registered manager or anyone from the office at any time. Staff told us they felt supported and valued by the registered manager and that they were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 07/02/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.