- Homecare service
Bluebird Care (Eastbourne & Wealden)
Report from 16 October 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 28 October to 11 November 2024. The service is a domiciliary care agency providing support to adults of all ages including those living with dementia. This assessment took place to follow up previous enforcement action we had taken. We found 3 on-going breaches in regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, safeguarding and governance. The service did not have robust quality assurance processes in place. Audits were lacking and those which had been completed, did not identify the concerns found during the assessment. Care plans contained conflicting or inaccurate information which placed people at risk of harm. Reviews had not been regularly completed and guidance to staff was not consistent. Risks had not always been documented in enough detail to ensure people were supported to minimise these. The service did not have a registered manager, and oversight from the provider was lacking. This led to the concerns identified at the previous inspection not being resolved. It was not always clear that appropriate referrals had been made to external bodies, such as the safeguarding team. We identified incidents which should have been reported and had not. Where referrals had been made to other professionals, such as district nurses, it was not always documented whether these visits had taken place, or what advice had been given for staff to follow. Although care plans contained conflicting information about care needs, they had been improved in relation to people’s personalised wishes. Consent was also clearly documented, and we saw evidence of staff delivering care in line with people’s wishes. Enough improvement had been made to meet the previous breaches in relation to need for consent and person-centred care. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives were positive about the quality of their care. They felt safe, were involved in planning their care and understood their rights. People said they received care from knowledgeable staff who knew them well and treated them as individuals, with dignity and respect. Some people were unclear how to access their care plans, however, they spoke of confidence of raising any concerns with staff. They felt able to express their views, however, were not always sure when they had last had a care review. Generally, people and their relatives were happy with Bluebird Care. Comments included, “We are really happy with the service. The communication levels are really good. We regard them as friends”; “I don’t know how we would have managed without them”; and, “They have been fantastic”.