Bluebird Care (Shropshire) - Domiciliary Care

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.

A registered manager was in post and was present throughout this 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.

At the last inspection, published in September 2016, the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained overall 'good.'

People received support that was exceptionally kind, caring and empowering. People were supported to maintain lifestyles they chose and to identify and achieve their goals in life. People were encouraged to take part in community and charitable events to build social integration and minimise the risk of isolation and loneliness.

People's privacy and dignity was respected by those providing assistance. People were supported at times of upset and distress.

People continued to remain safe as staff knew how to recognise and respond to concerns of ill-treatment and abuse. The provider followed safe recruitment procedures when employing new staff members. When people needed it, they were safely supported with their medicines by trained and competent staff members.

The provider followed effective infection prevention and control guidance when supporting people in their own homes. The equipment that people used was maintained and kept in safe working order and the provider undertook safety checks with people at their home addresses.

The provider learnt from incidents and accidents and worked with people and families to minimise the risk of reoccurrence if things had gone wrong. The provider worked in an open and transparent way and shared lessons learnt with other organisations to minimise the risk of re-occurrence in other care settings.

People continued to receive care that was effective and personalised to their individual needs and preferences. People were supported by staff members who arrived when expected and who knew them well.

They were assisted by a staff team who were well supported and had the skills and training to effectively assist people.

People were supported to have choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff members were aware of current guidance which informed their practice and people's rights were protected by the staff who supported them.

People, and those close to them, continued to be involved in developing their own care and support plans. When changes occurred in people's personal and medical circumstances, these plans were reviewed to reflect these changes. People and their relatives were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints. The provider had systems in place to address any issues raised with them.

Bluebird Care (Shropshire) continued to be well-led by a management team that people and staff found approachable and supportive. People were involved in decisions about their care and support and their suggestions were valued by the provider. Staff members felt involved in developing the care and support they provided and felt their opinions and ideas were listened to by the provider and, if appropriate, implemented. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of service they provided and where necessary made changes to drive improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found