The inspection took place on 15 and 24 February 2017. This was an announced inspection. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection as this is a domiciliary care agency and we wanted to ensure the manager was available in the office to meet with us. This service was last inspected on 22 October and 02 November 2015. At this inspection, we found the provider to be compliant.

Bluebird Care Haringey is a domiciliary care service run by A & J Kohli Limited. At the time of inspection the service was providing personal care to over 34 people with dementia and older people in their own homes.

The service had a registered manager 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.

People using the service and their relatives were happy with the service and found staff caring, kind and helpful. Community professionals spoke highly of the service’s effectiveness and responsiveness. The service delivered person-centred care that met people’s individual health and care needs.

The service followed appropriate procedures to safeguard people from harm. Staff had the understanding of protecting people against abuse and their role in promptly reporting poor care and abuse. Risk assessments were individualised and provided sufficient information and instructions to staff on the safe management of identified risks. People were happy with medicines support.

Staff were well-trained and demonstrated good understanding of people’s individual needs and preferences. They received regular supervision and support from the management. The service followed safe recruitment practices, carrying out appropriate recruitment checks before staff worked with people.

Staff asked people’s permission before providing care, gave them choices and provided appropriate support to people that lacked capacity to make decisions.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met. People were generally happy with staff punctuality. The service identified and addressed risks against occasional missed visits. There were detailed daily care delivery records giving a clear account of how people were supported.

Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed; they recorded people’s individual needs, likes and dislikes. They included instructions for staff on how to support people to meet their needs and preferences. People were supported with social aspects of their life and with various activities.

The service had good systems and processes to evaluate the quality and safety of the care delivery. The management team regularly visited people’s homes to observe staff supporting people with their care needs, and addressed any concerns immediately. The service asked people and their relatives if they found care delivery effective via feedback survey forms and telephone calls. Any areas identified as needing improvement were addressed immediately. People and their relatives told us they were happy with the management and found them approachable and helpful.

The service worked with health and care professionals in improving emotional and physical wellbeing of people and their relatives. The service worked collaboratively with local charity organisations for various social causes for example to promote dementia friendly settings.

The name of an individual who is no longer connected with this service appears in the report as the registered manager. This is because at the time of our inspection the providers notification to cancel this persons registration was going through due process.

People told us they were involved in decisions in relation to their or their relatives care and support needs. People told us they were happy with the care and support they received and that they were able to make choices in regards to this care. One person said “I say what I need.” Another person said “Care has been excellent.” We saw evidence that consent hand been obtained from people.

We reviewed support plans and found they contained information about the person’s personal preferences and details of other health professionals involved in the care given.

Staff had access to training such as safeguarding vulnerable adults and had an awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse and reporting methods.

We reviewed the recruitment processes that were in place by checking employee files. We saw sufficient information had been collected and recorded.

There was a procedure in place for monitoring service provision and auditing standards.

This inspection took place on 22 October 2015 and 2 November 2015. It was announced two days before the visit to ensure that the manager was available.

Bluebird Care Haringey is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The registered provider is A & J Kohli Limited. At the time of our inspection 40 people were receiving a personal care service, and the agency employed 18 staff members.

The service had a registered manager who was also the nominated individual. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were happy with the care workers supporting them, and told us that they were supported by a small number of care workers who knew them well.

We found that people were kept safe and free from harm with risk assessments in place to address relevant issues. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs and to provide a flexible service. Staff training and systems were in place to ensure that the Mental Capacity Act 2005 was followed with people’s consent recorded as appropriate.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They received regular supervision, appraisal and support from their line manager including spot checks of their work.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. People spoke highly of the support staff provided. When incidents occurred, these were clearly recorded, and learning was taken forward.

People were supported to eat and drink, and to attend health care appointments. Systems were in place for staff to administer their prescribed medicines safely. Where needed staff supported people to maintain their independence skills.

People told us that the management were accessible and approachable, and that they felt able to speak up about specific areas for improvement. There were regular checks in place to review the quality of the service provided to people, and monitor satisfaction, with a clear plan in place to address areas for improvement.