This inspection took place on 7 August 2018 was announced.

BlueBells Care Agency is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to people in Kington and the surrounding areas of Herefordshire. At the time of our inspection the provider was providing personal care for 20 people.

At the last inspection on 8 October 2015, the service was rated 'Good.' At this inspection we found evidence continued to support the overall rating of 'Good.' This inspection report is written in a shorter format, because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People continued to receive care, which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff responded to and met people's needs safely. Risks to people’s safety were identified and measures were in place to help reduce these risks. Staff continued to be recruited safely by the provider, and checks were completed on new staff to make sure they were suitable to support people in their own homes. There were sufficient numbers of staff to support people effectively. Medication administration continued to be safe.

People continued to receive care that was effective in meeting their needs, by staff who had the knowledge and skills to support them. People's rights with regards to consent and making their own decisions continued to be respected by staff.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and had caring relationships with them. People felt involved in their own care and staff and managers listened to what they wanted. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity when they supported them and promoted their independence.

People continued to receive care and support that was individual to them. People were encouraged to raise concerns and make complaints and were confident these would be dealt with. The provider was an inclusive service and promoted equality, diversity and human rights with people and staff.

People were listened to when they gave feedback about the service they received. Staff spoke positively about feeling valued by management, who were always available to provide support and guidance. Systems were in place that continued to be effective in assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 8 October 2015 and was announced.

Bluebelles is a domiciliary care agency providing care for people living in their own homes. On the day of our inspection there were 10 people using the service.

There were two registered managers in post. 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.

Staff protected people from harm and abuse and had received training to be able to identify and report concerns that they had. Risks relating to people’s care had been identified and information was available to staff to inform them how to support people safely.

People were supported by staff who were caring and compassionate and who treated people with dignity and respect.

People were involved in planning their own care and staff understood how to support them. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as they could whilst remaining in their own home.

People were supported to make their own choices and decisions about their care and support. The provider encouraged people to raise any issues and people were confident that action would be taken by the management team.

Staff did not start work until appropriate checks had been made to make sure they were suitable to support people in their homes and keep them safe. Staff received induction and ongoing training in order for them to provide care. Staff were supported by the management team and received regular feedback on performance. The managers were approachable and accessible to people and staff.

The provider completed regular quality checks to ensure that good standards of care were maintained. People’s feedback was sought on a regular basis and any areas identified were acted upon.