About the service: Bluebird Care Colchester & Tendring is a domiciliary care agency. It provided personal care to 103 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ Staff had a good knowledge of how to keep people safe from avoidable harm and raise safeguards where required.

¿ People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way and staff knew when to administer ‘as and when required’ medicines to people.

¿ Staff were recruited safely and appropriate checks were carried out before they started work at the service. Staff were matched to people where possible and people were involved in the choosing of staff in certain instances.

¿ Where errors occurred, lessons were learned, and action was taken to prevent re-occurrence.

¿ The registered manager ensured that staff received basic and specialist training based on people’s individual needs.

¿Staff continued to have a good understanding of key pieces of legislation and when they should be applied.

¿ Quality assurance processes were in place to ensure the safety of the service and these supported the safe running of the service.

¿ People received care and support based on their individual assessment, needs and preferences.

¿ People were supported by staff who understood the need to ensure person centred care and to respect and listen to people.

¿ People told us they felt well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity and encouraged them to maintain relationships and keep their independence for as long as possible.

¿ Systems were in place for people to raise complaints and concerns. Where complaints were raised, action was taken and fed back to people.

¿ There was a strong emphasis on continually striving to improve. Managers recognised, promoted and regularly implemented innovative systems in order to provide a high-quality service.

¿ People and staff spoke extremely positively about working for the provider. They felt well supported by them and could talk to management at any time, feeling confident any concerns would be acted on promptly.

¿ The service worked in partnership with other organisations to make sure they were following current practice and providing a high-quality service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published on 24 August 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained good overall.

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 we receive any information of concern, we may inspect sooner.

Bluebird Care Colchester & Tendring provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. When we inspected on 28 July 2016 there were approximately 200 people using the personal care service. This was an announced inspection. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to know that someone would be available.

The service was previously two separate locations Bluebird Care Colchester and Bluebird Care Tendring, which have now been merged.

There was a registered manager 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.

There were systems in place which provided guidance for care workers on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.

Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

There were sufficient numbers of care workers who were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service. Care workers had good relationships with people who used the service.

People or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs.

Where people required assistance with their dietary needs there were systems in place to provide this support safely. Where required, people were provided support to access health care professionals.

A complaints procedure was in place. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. There was good leadership in the service. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were addressed. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

Prior to our inspection we had received a concern about the service provided which had also been sent to the provider. We brought forward our scheduled inspection of the service to check that the service had responded appropriately to this concern and taken action, where required.

At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service. We spoke with 12 people who used the service and the relatives of five people. We also spoke with the provider, the registered manager and three staff members, including one care worker. We looked at ten people's care records. Other records viewed included five staff member's personnel records, staff meeting minutes, satisfaction questionnaires completed by the people who used the service and records relating to the quality assurance of the service. We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask; Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found;

Is the service safe?

We saw that care workers were provided with training in safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse, Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant that care workers were provided with the information that they needed to ensure that people were safeguarded. The registered manager understood when a DoLS referral should be made.

People's care records included appropriate risk assessments which identified how the risks associated with providing a domiciliary care service to people were minimised.

The rota and discussions with staff showed that the service employed sufficient numbers of care workers to cover visits to the people who used the service. The service took action to address care worker vacancies, including recruiting care workers from the local area.

Care workers were provided with the training and support that they needed to meet people's needs safely and effectively.

Is the service effective?

People told us that they felt that they were provided with a service that met their needs. One person said, "I can't fault them at all." Another person said, "It (the service) is brilliant, could not be any better." Another person said, "They are an excellent company, I can't praise them enough."

People's care records showed that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure their safety and welfare. The records were regularly reviewed and updated which meant that care workers were provided with up to date information about how people's needs were to be met.

Is the service caring?

People told us that the care workers treated them with respect. One person said, "They (care workers) are a joy, always come in cheerful." Another person said, "They (care workers) are very pleasant and compassionate, which is very important when caring for the elderly."

People using the service completed satisfaction questionnaires. Where shortfalls or concerns were raised these were addressed.

Is the service responsive?

People told us that they knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. We saw that where people had raised concerns appropriate action had been taken to address them.

People's care records showed that where concerns about their wellbeing had been identified the care workers had taken appropriate action. This ensured that people were provided with the support they needed. This included supporting people to obtain an appointment with health care professionals, including a doctor.

Is the service well-led?

The service had a quality assurance system and records showed that identified shortfalls were addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service was continuingly improving.