Bluebird Care Exeter & Teignbridge

The provider worked collaboratively with other professionals to deliver person-centred care. They coordinated hospital discharges and made sure people were safe when they returned home after hospital stays. Their support extended beyond care tasks and included advocating for people, liaising with discharge teams, coordinating transport and arranging equipment. The provider had recently employed a paramedic as clinical lead who was managing a new complex care team offering support for people with increased needs. This meant people and staff had in house access to advice about clinical needs, complex medication, equipment and delegated clinical tasks such as wounds. Their teamwork ensured people received a holistic package of care which led to life-enhancing outcomes.

Staffhad exceptional knowledge of the individual people they cared for. Staff were encouraged to provide meaningful support, which enhanced people’s health, wellbeing and social connections. Staff were empathetic and kind. Where possible, the provider matched staff personalities and interests to reflect people’s wishes.

People lived in their home environments which were well monitored, risks were understood, and the provider took appropriate and timely action to ensure safety was maintained. Systems were effective, learning was embedded, and staff practice consistently supported people in a safe, responsive and well managed way.

There was a culture where staff and others working with people had a deep understanding of their individual needs, preferences and choices. Managers worked closely with people to assess and plan personalised care through the customer on-boarding team and thorough customer enquiry process. They ensured people had the support they needed to promote their independence; from offering new technology enabled care to live-in support. Technology enabled care promoted independence and peace of mind using monitored sensors and smart devices to track activity. This could be used to assess care need, changes in movement and optimum times for visits.

There was a person-centred culture which was driven by skilled, knowledgeable and experienced managers. They had robust systems for monitoring the quality of the service and driving continuous improvements. Managers valued staff wellbeing and recognised this as an essential part of the organisation. Managers were visible and role-modelled the values of equality, diversity and inclusion.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The provider had regard to ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ and staff undertook specialist training to better understand people’s needs. The provider was committed to ensuring information was accessible and staff knew how to communicate well with the people they supported. The provider enabled positive risk taking and encouraged people to be independent and learn new skills whilst educating the wider family about positive risk taking.

The provider demonstrated a strong commitment through their participation policy to listening to people and staff and involving people in every aspect of their care and decision making at all levels.