This inspection took place on the 17 and 23 May 2018.Our last inspection of the service was carried out in January 2016. At that inspection we rated overall Good and Outstanding in the domain Caring part of the report. At this inspection the service was rated overall Outstanding.

Bluebird Care UK is a national franchise. A franchise is when a franchisee (the provider) has bought the right to sell a specific company's (the franchisor's) products in a particular area using the company's name. The franchise operates over two hundred locations across the United Kingdom.

The office of Bluebird Care (Cornwall North) is located in the centre of Camelford, and it is readily accessible for people using the service and staff. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides support for people living with dementia, older people, physical disabilities care, learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder and sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection 93 people were receiving support from the service.

The service provides three types of support to people in the community. The first one is for short visits to provide personal care or domestic support. The second service is to provide a 24 hour package of care with a core staff team supporting a person in their own home. The third service is to provide short term live in cover for people whose main carer might request a respite service.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our 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.

The culture of Bluebird Care (Cornwall North) was exceptionally inclusive. The providers values were person-centred and made sure people were at the heart of the service. Staff shared this view and had a common vision to provide a service where people were enabled to live their lives as they chose and maintain their independence. Staff demonstrated they cared through their attitude and engagement with people. Staff clearly understood the need to respect people’s individual wishes and choices. One person told us, “They [staff and managers] are exceptional. I have the utmost respect for them all. They all go over and above in what they do.” This was reflected many times by managers, staff and people using the service throughout the inspection.

The service was proactive in ensuring equality and diversity standards were integral to people's care plans. For example making sure people’s needs were clear to help staff in delivering care and support. Staff told us the information helped them to identify any diverse needs and to respect people for who they were. People told us staff were respectful. One person said, “I have a disability but [staff names] understand and respect me for who I am. Not the disability.”

The provider and registered manager were innovative and demonstrated governance systems were embedded into the core framework, to ensure continual development and monitoring of the quality of care and support they delivered. They worked in partnership with other organisations to make sure they followed current best practice and provided a high quality service.

Senior staff were dedicated to providing quality care to people. They valued staff and promoted their development. There was an open culture at the service where staff felt exceptionally supported, able to raise any concerns and put forward suggestions for improvements. The provider encouraged people to provide feedback on how things were managed and to share their experiences of the service in creative ways which suited their needs.

The service used technology to support staff in their work. All staff had links to the system used, with password access to information about th

The inspection took place on 14 and 18 January 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a domiciliary care agency and we needed to be sure that someone would be present in the office.

Bluebird Care (North Cornwall) provides a personal care service to people living in their own home. On the day of the inspection 65 people were supported by Bluebird Care with their personal care needs.

The service had 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. The registered manager and provider were both involved in the day to day running of the service.

People, those who mattered to them and staff all spoke positively about the service. Comments included, “I can’t give them enough praise,” and “They’re excellent,” These comments were echoed by health and social care professionals who told us the service was the gold star they looked for and the service they would want their relative to use.

There was an extremely positive culture within the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. The provider and registered manager had clear visions, values and enthusiasm about how they wished the service to be provided and these values were shared with the whole staff team. Staff had clearly adopted the same ethos and enthusiasm and this showed in the way they cared for people.

People told us staff provided high quality personalised care and support. Care records were focused on empowering people to have control. Staff responded quickly to people’s change in needs, which was communicated to those that needed to know. Staff were passionate about delivering the care and support people wanted during each call; even if it was not what had been planned or meant they would need to stay longer. Comments included, “They do absolutely anything I want, nothing is too much trouble.”

The registered manager ensured end of life care for people and the support provided to relatives were of a very high standard. They assessed and planned in detail to ensure everyone’s needs were met. Staff responded with empathy and compassion, often going beyond the requirements of their job role to show how much they cared.

People were supported by staff who received tailored training that reflected their individual needs, and supported how they wanted and needed to receive their care. Staff put their training into practice and delivered outstanding care. Relatives commented, “Full marks to Bluebird on their training. I couldn’t ask for more.” People felt really well cared for, that they mattered and valued their relationships with staff. People’s comments included, “I wanted to say how good it is seeing a Bluebird regularly. It takes away the isolation and they are all a tremendous help to us.” and “We’re absolutely delighted. It’s great to find a care company that cares so much.”

People and those who mattered to them were involved in identifying their needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences were sought and respected. Staff focused upon a person’s whole life to promote their wellbeing and gave people an outstanding quality of life. People, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals consistently told us Bluebird Care always focused on providing the best care possible for each individual.

Everyone described the management to be very open, supportive and approachable. Comments included, “They’ve always got time for you even just to have a coffee and a chat. Nothing’s ever left, it’s always sorted.” Staff talked about their jobs in a very positive manner and were highly motivated. Comments included, “I really enjoy my work,” and “I love working for

We spoke with eight people who used the service and two relatives. They told us that every thing was absolutely fine. All of the people we spoke with told us the carers are usually on time and that they often get the same ones, this is good for continuity. One person said, “I receive good care and am kept informed”. All of the people told us the carers are fantastic, they understand our needs, they are a skilled team”. We were told Bluebird Care provide a really good service.

During our inspection, we spoke with the two directors, manager, care supervisor and two care staff. They demonstrated a good knowledge of the care needs of people who received a service and they spoke fondly of each person.

We found peoples’ views and experiences had been taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected and people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

We found that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse happening.

We saw there were appropriate checks undertaken before staff commenced work for the service and staff received training, supervision and on-going support.

Records were kept securely at the office.

At the time of the inspection Bluebird Care (Cornwall North) were providing care to 50 people in their own homes. We spoke with six people using the service and two relatives of people using the service.

Everyone we spoke to was complimentary about the standard of care. One person told us "I'm very happy with the care I get" and a relative told us "they do a wonderful job".

The people we asked knew they had a care plan, kept a copy in their homes and told us that staff "write things down every day". People told us that their care plans reflected the care they received. One person told us "I tell them what to do and they do it".

People told us that staff offered them choices in their daily routines and that they had a "blue book full of information" given to them by the agency, to refer to if needed, about their care.

People told us they built up good relationships with staff because they tended to receive the same staff. People told us they felt staff had the skills necessary to do their jobs, for example, one person told us "I've got confidence in them".

There was a clear safeguarding procedure in place. People told us they felt safe with the staff who visited them and one person told us "I trust them totally".

There was a quality assurance system in place and people told us they had confidence that their concerns would be dealt with professionally. One person told us "I know they would listen to me if I had a problem".