About the service: Bluebird Care (Birmingham West) provides support to people in their own homes including people with physical disabilities and people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service: Staff had awareness of safeguarding and knew how to raise concerns. Steps were taken to minimise risk where possible. Staff supported people to manage their medicines safely. Systems were in place to recruit staff safely and they were equipped with the skills required to provide effective care and support.

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. Staff supported people to monitor their wellbeing, access healthcare and maintain a nutritious diet.

People were supported by regular staff which provided continuity. Staff were matched to people based on their needs and preferences. Staff had developed relationships with people and knew them well; people received person-centred care as a result. Staff promoted people’s independence and treated them with dignity and respect.

Thorough assessments of people’s needs were completed and person-centred support plans were developed which were outcome focused. People’s care was regularly reviewed and people were involved in making decisions about their support. The service was responsive to people’s needs and electronic records meant updates could be shared quickly and the delivery of care could be monitored in a timely manner.

The registered manager created a positive team culture that was open and transparent and where staff felt supported. Their passion and commitment to providing high quality care and support for people was shared amongst staff. Robust quality assurance systems were in place to ensure a good standard of care was provided. The service embraced new ideas and learning, including using technology to continually improve their delivery of care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 29 July 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

The inspection took place on 10 and 14 June 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider short notice before our visit that we would be visiting to ensure the registered manager was available. The last inspection of the service was 5 February 2014 where they met all the standards assessed.

Bluebird care is a domiciliary care service that provides care and support to people living in their own homes. Some people’s care was funded through the local authority and some people purchased their own care. At the time of our inspection 40 people received support from this service.

There was a manager who was registered with us however we were informed by the provider that the manager had left the organisation a week before our inspection. The manager will remain registered with us until an application to deregister is received. 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. The provider has made arrangements to manage the service until a new manager is appointed.

People felt safe with the staff that supported them because staff knew how to protect people from harm. Procedures were in place that ensured the service was safe and that people’s rights were protected.

People were protected because management plans were in place to manage risks based on people’s individual assessed care needs. People were consulted about their care so their wishes, choices and preferences were known so they could receive care that met their individual needs.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably recruited staff available to support people and keep them safe. Staff had received training that ensured they had the skills and knowledge to care for people.

People were supported with their medication when required and staff had been trained so people received their medication safely

People were able to make decisions about their care and were actively involved in how their care was planned and delivered. People’s rights to make decisions were promoted by the staff.

People were able to raise their concerns or complaints and these were addressed. Monitoring of complaints had taken place to enable improvements to be made and prevent reoccurrence.

Staff supported people with their nutrition and health care needs and referrals were made in

consultation with people who used the service if there were concerns about their health.

People's privacy and dignity was promoted and maintained.

Systems were in place to monitor and check the quality of care provided and where changes for improvement were required we saw that action was taken.

The service was a small service offering personal care and assistance to 16 people. On the day of our visit we spoke with an interim manager who was managing the service whilst a new manager was being recruited. We also spoke with two staff who provided personal care to people.

We spoke with four people who used the service or their relatives. We asked people about their experience of the care provided. People told us they were happy with the care they received and had no concerns about the service. One person said, “They were very good when my relative came out of hospital.” Another person said, "I can't fault them."

We saw that each person had an assessment of their needs and a plan of care based on the person’s individual requirements. We looked at four sets of care records to see how people were being supported. We saw that each person had a daily care plan. The daily plan contained detailed information about the times people wanted to receive care as well as the type of support they required. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated.

Staff told us they received training to assist them to meet people's specific needs safely and effectively.

The service had processes in place to monitor people's views about the service offered.