Bluebird Care (Stroud and Cirencester) is based in Stroud, Gloucestershire and provides personal care to people living in their homes. At the time of our inspection visit this was being provided to 37 people.

At the last inspection on 30 and 31 March 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service to be Outstanding.

We heard positive comments about the service such as “what a brilliant team they are” and “Nothing is too much trouble”.

The service was outstandingly caring and understood the value of people maintaining as much independence as possible. Staff were exceptional in empowering people to maintain and regain their independence. This enabled people to return to previous roles and to take up their old hobbies and interests. People were treated with kindness and their privacy and dignity was respected. The service was proactive in enabling people to give their views about the care and support they received.

People were enabled to live safely as risks to their safety were identified, assessed and appropriate action taken to keep people safe. People's medicines were safely managed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received personalised care and the service was outstandingly responsive to the changing needs of people living with dementia. Staff made use of electronic care plans to ensure they remained up to date with the support people needed at the end of their lives. The service was outstandingly responsive to the needs of their community and continuously reviewed the needs of their local population to inform their service development.

People were cared for by staff who received appropriate training and support. Systems were in place to ensure staff were suitable to work with people. Quality assurance systems were used to improve the service and these included seeking the views of people using the service, their representatives and staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 30 and 31 March 2015 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours notice of the inspection to ensure that the people we needed to meet with were available. This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered in September 2013.

The agency was providing support to 35 people who lived in their own homes, at the time of the inspection. These people lived in the Stroud and Dursley areas of Gloucestershire. There were 15 care staff.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People said they felt safe with the care staff who were supporting them: “I don’t have any concerns at all and I always know who is going to visit me”. Staff were recruited following robust recruitment procedures and received training to ensure they were aware of safeguarding issues and knew how to report any concerns. Risk assessments were completed and management plans were put in place to manage the risk.

People received the care and support they expected and had agreed upon. The call monitoring system in place ensured that each person received the service they expected. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they were supporting and received the appropriate training and support to enable them to undertake their roles effectively. Where identified in the assessment process, people were provided with support to have food and drink. People were supported to access health care services if needed.

People were looked after by a small number of care staff (maximum of four) and had good relationships with the staff who were supporting them. People were treated with kindness and respect and were involved in having a say about the support they received and how their service was delivered.

Assessment and care planning processes ensured that each person received the service they needed and met their individual needs. Their preferences and choices were respected. People were provided with copies of their plans, knew what service was provided and who was going to support them.

People and staff said the service was well-led and they were encouraged to provide feedback. The quality and safety of the service was regularly monitored and used to make improvements. The service had a plan for making improvements.