Bluebird Care Worcester, Wychavon & North Cotswolds

Bluebird Care UK is a national franchise. A franchise is when a franchisee (the provider) has bought the right to sell a specific company's (the franchisor's) products in a particular area using the company's name. The franchise operates over two hundred locations across the United Kingdom.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides support for people living with dementia, older people, physical disabilities care and sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection 67 people were receiving support from the service.

The service provides two main types of support to people in the community. The first one is for short visits to provide personal care or domestic support. The second service is to provide a 24-hour package of care with a core staff team supporting a person in their own home.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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's care was delivered safely. Care staff protected people from the risk of potential abuse and understood the potential signs to report. People's safety had been assessed and reviewed and their individual risks recorded. The plans showed care staff the steps needed to reduce a person's risks and prevent risk of harm or injury. People who had support with their medicines had them administered when needed, by staff that were trained and competent to do so.

The provider offered training linked to people's needs and care staff were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People told us they arranged their own healthcare appointments and that care staff were helpful in providing reminders of appointments.

People received care in their home from care staff they knew very well and had formed positive relationships with. Staff had taken the time and developed respectful relationships with people and were very kind and caring in their approach which was reflected in people's feedback on their care.

People were involved about planning and changing their care which had been recorded in their care plans. The management team regularly reviewing these alongside people's requests and were updated when needed. People knew how to contact the office and were confident to in how to make a complaint should they wish to.

The registered manager told us they kept their knowledge current and provided staff with input and direction about the levels of care they expected with regular meetings and supervisions. The management team monitored the quality of the care that people received, that included reviewing records and observing staff practices.

The provider, registered managers and staff put people at the forefront of everything they did. The provider created an ethos and culture of individualised and person-centred care. The care staff knew the importance of developing good working relationships with the people they looked after and ensured they provided person centred care based on their specific needs. The staff ensured people were always treated with kindness and were listened to. The feedback we received from people being supported, their relatives and care staff was positive.

Care staff supported people and were encouraged by the provider to do so. People's privacy and dignity was continually supported to ensure they were as independent as possible in all aspects of their lives. People's care needs were attended to at times they asked for in a gentle and unhurried way by consistent care staff they knew very well. People received care that that supported their independence and were able to direct staff on each call to receive a personalised service.

The provider set high expectations for the service and had taken extra care to ensure that their systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service demonstrated the good care people received. The provider acted on people's views and regularly consulted with them about how to improve and all staff were respectful of people's human rights. People experiences of their care were important and valued by a caring leadership team which promoted an open culture.

The registered manager and the provider had clear visions, values about how they delivered good quality care to people, which were known and demonstrated by the whole staff team. This showed in the way they spoke about people. The management team felt it was important that they were approachable and visible which helped them monitor and maintain a service which people and relatives liked. The management supported and listened to staff at all levels to improve the quality of service and acted on them about how to improve. People reflected this and were confident to make requests through the day with staff. The registered manager and provider took time to visit people to ensure the care delivered was as expected.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found