Bluebird Care (Wakefield) is registered to provide personal care for people in their own homes. When we inspected the service there were 33 people who were supported with personal care. The inspection took place on 13 and 17 December 2018 and was announced. The last inspection was on 16 August 2017 and there was one breach of regulations, relating to recruitment of staff. This was because the provider’s recruitment procedure was not operated effectively. At this inspection, we found the provider had taken sufficient action to address the breach and ensure systems and processes were more thorough.

At the time of this inspection, 50 people were using the service, 33 of whom were supported with personal care.

People felt safe with the care provided. Staff knew how to keep people safe and there were clear procedures and guidance in place for staff to manage risks. Risk assessments were clear and understood by staff. Systems for managing medicines were clear and audited regularly.

People were supported to have maximum control and choice over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were well supported and valued. There was regular communication with the management team through formal routes, such as supervision and meetings, as well as informal routes through continuous communication. Staff training was in place, although we made a recommendation training needed to be more robustly evidenced where staff supported people with specific needs.

There was a clear assessment process which ensured people had choice and involvement in their care and support. Staff demonstrated caring and compassionate behaviours and attitudes towards the people they supported and their families.

Staff were committed to positive outcomes for people and placed emphasis on supporting people as individuals. Staff told us they felt well cared for themselves and were therefore easily able to transfer a caring approach to their work.

Staff supported people’s dignity and were respectful in verbal and written communications. Care was responsive to people’s needs and very person centred. There was clear emphasis on involving and including people as active partners in their care and support.

Care records contained information which was accurately detailed and easy to locate. The provider needs to consider further ways to enhance communication with people about their care plans, through making information more accessible such as in picture format.

The complaints process was clear and there was evidence of complaints being responded to thoroughly and transparently.

Partnerships and community working was evident.

Issues from the last inspection had been addressed and the management team was working to ensure further improvements could be made to the service.

The service was well run and the registered manager was aware of the strengths and areas to improve. Audits were clear with defined responsibilities and actions for improvement. Audits showed areas identified had been addressed.

The inspection took place on 16, 17 and 21 August 2017 and was announced. At the last inspection in April 2015 we found the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at; the service was rated as good.

Bluebird Care (Wakefield) is registered to provide personal care to people in their own home. At the time of the inspection 42 people were 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 told us they felt safe and the care provided was good. They were complimentary about the care workers and management team. However, the registered provider did not always do everything they should to keep people safe because robust recruitment checks were not always carried out before employing workers. Medicines were usually managed safely; additional checks were being introduced to make sure any errors on the medication administration records were identified.

People made decisions about their care and support. Care plans contained information about what was important to the person and how care should be delivered. Risk was assessed and managed. Assessments were detailed and showed each area had been considered and where risk was identified measures were in place to remove or reduce risk. An electronic system was used which ensured staff had up to date information. The management team used the system to make sure the staffing arrangements were meeting people’s assessed needs.

Staff understood their responsibilities under safeguarding people from abuse procedures and were confident the management team would act swiftly and deal with any issues appropriately. Staff said they were supported in their role and the provider sent us records after the visit to the office which confirmed this.

People who used the service, relatives and staff said they would recommend the service to others. Everyone had opportunity to share their views about the service. People said they would feel comfortable raising any concerns or complaints. Staff told us the registered manager led the service well and the management team worked alongside staff and were accessible. The registered manager and provider had developed and continued to further develop effective partnership working.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor most areas of the service; however, issues around recruitment had not been picked up through the auditing processes.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014. This related to recruitment of workers. You can see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

The inspection of Bluebird Care (Wakefield) took place on 22 April 2015 and was announced. This was the first inspection for this service under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Bluebird Care (Wakefield) is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in the community in the West Yorkshire area. They currently provide a service to 37 people, 18 of whom receive support with personal care.

At the time of our inspection the service had a registered manager in place, however, they were due to leave their post within the next few days. The registered manager was not present on the day of the inspection. 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 we spoke with told us their relative was safe. The registered provider and the staff we spoke with were all aware of their responsibilities in the safeguarding process.

One staff member we spoke with was able to describe the action they had taken when a person they visited did not answer the door.

We looked at the recruitment records for two staff members and found they had been recruited safely. Staff told us there were enough staff to meet people’s needs and in the event of a staff member not been able to attend a call, the registered provider had a contingency plan in place.

Medicines were administered by staff who had been assessed as competent. We saw the registered provider had a system in place to ensure people received the medicines they were prescribed.

We saw evidence staff received induction and training appropriate to their role. Staff told us they received regular training and support from their manager.

The registered provider had attended training in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. As a result of this training they had begun to take action to source more in depth training for staff in this topic.

One person we spoke with told us how staff supported them with their meals and one member of staff we spoke with explained how they supported one of their clients with eating and drinking.

Relatives of people who used the service and the person who used the service told us the staff who supported them or their relative were kind and caring. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about people’s individual care and support needs.

All the staff at the service, including the registered provider were dignity champions. Staff were clear about how they ensured they maintained the dignity of the people they supported.

We looked at two peoples care and support records and found they provided information about the care and support each person required. While the records provided adequate information, they lacked the level of detail required to provide person centred care. The registered provider evidenced they were aware of this and had taken action to begin to improve people’s care and support plans.

Where a concern or complaint was raised, this was investigated by the registered provider and the complainant was provided with written feedback as to the action taken to address the concerns.

Staff told us Bluebird (Wakefield) was a good company to work for. The registered provider demonstrated a belief in delivering quality care to people and felt that staff development was a key factor in achieving this goal.

There was a system in place to ensure the views and opinions of staff and customers were gained. Where issues were raised, these were addressed and feedback was provided to people. Staff performance was monitored by senior staff to ensure staff were compliant with the services standards.

The registered provider had put an action plan in place with detailed actions and timeframes for completion. This was to ensure the service continued to progress and improve. The registered provider shared their news and activities with staff and customers with a regular newsletter.