This inspection took place on the 6 and 7 September 2017 and was announced. Bluebird Care North Tyneside is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to 96 people who live in their own homes.

At the time of the inspection, 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.

People felt safe using the service. They were protected from possible abuse by staff who were trained in and understood their responsibilities to safeguard people. Risks to people’s well-being were assessed and management plans were in place to reduce identified risks.

Recruitment processes were robust and helped to ensure people were supported by suitable staff. Sufficient numbers of staff were deployed. A field based team of supervisors, a care coordinator and a support coordinator were based in the office. They provided both planned and unplanned care to ensure all visits were covered. The directors, a care manager and team of administrators were also based at the office. Some people and relatives told us that they did not always know which care worker would be visiting and they sometimes saw different care workers. The provider was proactive and was looking at ways to recruit and retain staff to improve overall stability within the staff team. People received their medicines safely and staff were familiar with the actions they should take in an emergency.

People received effective care from a staff team who were well trained and felt supported by the registered manager and office staff. Staff support included one to one supervision meetings and informal support and advice being available at any time they required it. Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people’s rights to make decisions for themselves. They offered people choice and obtained people’s consent before providing support. Advice from health and social care professionals was sought and acted on appropriately. When it was part of their care, people were supported to have enough to eat and drink.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity when supporting them with personal care. People were helped to maintain independence as much as possible. Confidentiality was respected and people’s personal information was kept securely.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. Care plans were developed and reflected people’s personal preferences and routines. Two people’s care plans had not been reviewed by the due date. One person’s care plan had limited information on how to support them when they exhibited behaviours that could cause distress and/or harm to themselves or others. A review of the person’s care plan was arranged.

The service used feedback from people using the service to improve. Complaints were taken seriously and responded to in line with the provider’s policy. There was an open, friendly and positive culture in the service. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and were confident to raise concerns and issues.

People received care and support from a staff team that worked well together and upheld the values set by the provider. The quality of the service was monitored and where shortcomings were identified, action was taken to make improvements.