Bluebird Care West Dorset

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Staff knew people well and risk assessments covered all aspects of their daily care and support. Clear instructions for staff contributed to safe working practices. People told us they were happy with the service they received from Bluebird Care West Dorset.

There were enough staff to meet the needs of the service. Recruitment processes were in place to ensure staff had the necessary checks before starting work with the service. However, we found some gaps in employment history had not been explored, the manager and provider acted immediately to obtain the missing information.

People were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team who knew how to raise safeguarding concerns both within the service and outside. Staff told us they were confident their concerns would be acted upon by the management team.

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. Staff told us they promoted independence every day for people. People told us they felt

respected by the staff and the service.

Right Care People received their medicines as prescribed. Medicines management within the service was monitored and staff had received training including assessment of their competency. The manager was in the process of providing guidance for medicines people only needed to take occasionally. An electronic care planning and medicines system supported safety, as changes to medicine regimes were made without delay.

People were protected from the risk of avoidable infection. Staff had received training in infection prevention and control. The service had an annual statement which detailed their procedure to ensure safety. This included the provision of person protective equipment (PPE) for staff. The policy and guidance were in line with government and best practice guidance.

Accidents and incidents were recorded, analysed for themes and trends. Quarterly reviews of events looked for patterns and lessons learned. Governance systems were in place and supported oversight of the service. Leadership was visible and staff knew their roles and responsibilities. A range of audits supported quality assurance and were multi-layered.

Right Culture The registered manager understood their statutory responsibilities and had made notifications to CQC as required by law. Staff felt appreciated by the service, there were various ways the service showed thanks to their staff. The provider was passionate about their team and supporting staff to give the best care they could to people. Staff felt involved and regular team meetings ensured training reminders and updates could be communicated.

Bluebird Care West Dorset sought to involve themselves in their local community, which included charitable work and the allocation of grants to support local causes. The service worked well with external health and social care professionals, and we received positive feedback on joint working. The service actively sought feedback on the service it provides, and results of an annual survey were positive. The management team of Bluebird Care West Dorset was said to be approachable, visible, and supportive.