This inspection took place on 1 September 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice. Bluebird Care (Lewes) is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to older people in their own homes. People had a variety of needs including an early a diagnosis of dementia or frailty. At the time of inspection there were 76 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

People who used the service said they were safe. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and what to do if they thought someone was at risk. However, some risk assessments that had been completed were not always detailed enough, and appropriate management plans could not be put in place. Where risks to an individual had been identified, these were effectively managed. People were supported to take their medicines safely when needed, but there was a risk medicines records would not be accurate at all times.

People gave us very positive feedback about the care they received. Comments included; “Bluebird carers are very good indeed. I have no worries at all with them, they are very polite very caring very affectionate and they show it” and “they’re all very good without exception”. People were able to express their views and preferences about their care and these were acted on. People were treated with respect and their privacy was protected. One person said; “they do treat me with the greatest respect and have always preserved my dignity”.

People’s care needs were regularly assessed and people and those important to them were involved in making decisions about their care. People’s support needs were assessed and care plans were developed to details how these needs should be met. Care plans were detailed which helped staff provide the individual care people needed. People knew how to make a complaint or raise concerns with the registered manager and told us these were acted on when they did so. There was an appropriate complaints system in place and any complaints had been thoroughly investigated.

People were asked for their consent appropriately and staff and the registered manager had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This legislation provides a legal framework for acting and making decisions on behalf of adults who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. Care workers knew that any decisions made on someone else behalf must be in their best interests.

There were enough staff to meet people’s care needs and staff had regular training, supervision and appraisal to support them. Staff gave positive feedback about the quality of the training and people who use the service said staff were well trained. Comments included; “the staff from Bluebird are certainly correctly trained” and “carers are all adequately trained as far as I'm concerned”. Appropriate pre-employment checks had been completed before staff began working for the provider.

Incidents and accidents were thoroughly investigated and action taken to reduce the risk of them being repeated. The registered manager and staff understood the importance of learning from incidents so they could make improvements to the service.

People who needed it were supported to eat and drink enough and staff knew what to do if they thought someone was at risk of malnutrition or dehydration. People’s day to day health care needs were met.

The service was well led by a dedicated registered manager and management team. There was a commitment to provide high quality care which was tailored to people’s individual choices and preferences. Feedback form people who use the service, relatives and staff was positi

During our inspection we spoke with nine people who used the service and a further seven relatives of people who used the service. We spoke with seven members of staff; these were the director, the care supervisor, the care manager, the care co-ordinator and three care workers.

The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they had received and with the staff team. One person who used the service told us, "I am very satisfied with the service. I have two very good carers who are reliable and professional.” A relative of a person who used the service told us, "The service has always been good. They come on time and are so kind to my relative. The carers chat to them and my relative has no complaints about the care whatsoever.”

We saw evidence that the provider had effective recruitment and selection procedures in place to ensure that staff were of good character and qualified to do their job.

We looked at staffing levels and saw that the service had enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs.

The service had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided, and to gain the views of the people who used the service.

The service also had a system in place to effectively deal with comments and complaints.

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager employed at Bluebird Care (Lewes). The organisation had informed us that the previous manager had left. A new care manager had been employed by Bluebird Care (Lewes) and was due to commence the registration process with CQC.

During our visit we spoke with five people who used the service and five staff members; these were one of the directors, the care manager and three care workers.

We also took information from other sources to help us understand the views of people who used the service, which included a satisfaction survey and meeting minutes.

The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they received and with the staff team.

One person who used the service told us “I’m very satisfied with my carer and Bluebird Care, I can’t fault them”. Another person who used the service we spoke with told us “I’m pleased with what they do [the care workers] and they do what I want”.

Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the support needs of the people who used the service. One member of staff we spoke with told us “If I was a client, I would go for Bluebird Care, we really accommodate client’s needs”.