The inspection was announced and took place on the 16 and 17 November 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available in the office. It also allowed us to arrange to visit people receiving a service in their own homes.

This is the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission in July 2014.

Bluebird Care (Mendip) is registered for the regulated activity ‘personal care.’ At the time of the inspection it was providing personal care to 80 people living in their own homes. Packages of care varied from daily visits to live in care. In order to recognise the complex work that staff carried out, Bluebird Care (Mendip) call their staff ‘care professionals’ therefore this is the term that will be used in the report to refer to staff providing care to people.

There is 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.

The management team were committed to providing a high quality effective service to people. They did this by supporting staff well, listening to people’s views and looking at ways to continually improve. One person said “It’s a very professional organisation starting from the top all the way down.”

The registered manager and provider aimed to provide a service which met people’s emotional needs as well as supporting people with physical tasks. The service was taking part in a campaign to alleviate loneliness in older people living in Britain. People told us they appreciated the visits from staff who were always cheerful. One person said “I look forward to them coming in. It doesn’t seem to matter what may be happening in their lives they always make you feel good.”

Care professionals were well motivated and committed to providing a service that was very personalised to each individual. People were fully involved in planning their care and support and care plans were comprehensive to make sure staff had all the information required to support the person. This helped to make sure people got the supported they wanted.

There were quality assurance systems which monitored standards and ensured any shortfalls were addressed. People and care professionals felt listened to and said they could speak with a member of the management team at any time. Any complaints made were fully investigated and treated as learning to enable the service to improve.

People received effective, safe care which met their individual needs and preferences. People told us the service was flexible and made adjustments to accommodate their wishes and changing needs. Where any concerns were raised about a person’s health or well-being prompt action was taken to make sure they received the support and treatment needed.

People were very complimentary about the care professionals who supported them. People told us staff were kind, caring and respected their privacy and dignity. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to ensure people received their care and support at times of their choosing.

Each person had a small team of care professionals who they were able to build trusting relationships with. The registered manager tried to match care professionals to people using the service to promote good relationships. One person said “I have really taken to the girls who come to me. We are well matched and so I am very satisfied with everything about the service.”

Care professionals were well trained and competent in their roles. Staff undertook training in health and safety subjects and received the training and information they needed to meet people’s specific needs. People told us the