We inspected the service on 18 and 19 June 2018. This was our first inspection since the service was registered on 6 June 2017.

Bluebird Care (Ashford) is a domiciliary care agency which provides care and support for people in their own homes. Care is provided for a range of people including older people, people living with dementia and children up to the age of 12. The agency operates within the Ashford area. Not everyone using Bluebird Care (Ashford) receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection there were 13 people receiving a regulated activity.

There was a registered manager in post who was also the registered provider. 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 with their care staff. Staff understood the importance of keeping people safe and knew the action to take if they had any suspicions that someone was at risk of harm. Risks to people within their home environment and out in the community had been assessed and where issues were identified action was taken to mitigate the risk of harm. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. Staff understood their responsibilities to report safety incidents, and improvements were made when things went wrong.

There were enough staff to meet people’s assessed needs. People were provided with consistency and continuity of care, with a small staff team that knew them well. Safe recruitment practices were followed to reduce the risk of unsafe staff working with people. Staff were trained and supported to have the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Staff enjoyed their role and felt valued by the registered manager.

People that received support with their medicines did so safely. Staff had been trained in medicine administration and regular checks were made to ensure people were receiving their medicines safely.

People’s needs were assessed before staff began to support them. The assessments took into account peoples protected characteristics such as their ethnicity and religious beliefs. Where staff were responsible, people were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. Referrals and advice was sought from relevant health care professionals to ensure people remained as healthy as possible.

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 were asked for their consent prior to any care or support tasks being completed. The registered manager had taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that was in line with legislation.

People received a personalised, person-centred service that was responsive to their needs. People informed staff how they wanted their care and support needs met and these were followed by staff. People were supported to maintain and increase their independence. People were supported to maintain links with the local community and continue to practice their religious beliefs, if this was part of their care package. Care records were regularly reviewed with people to ensure they were meeting people’s needs.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect, whilst maintaining people’s privacy and dignity. People were regularly asked for their views about the service and be actively involved in their care. Staff understood the importance of maintaining people’s confidential information. The s