Bluebird Care (South Oxfordshire) is a domiciliary care service supporting people with personal care in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 59 people being supported by the service.

At our inspection in August 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection on 25 October 2017 the service remained Good.

The provider and registered manager promoted a culture that respected and valued everyone. The provider looked for ways to continually improve the quality of care and ensured they met the fundamental standards of care.

People were supported by staff who understood their responsibilities to manage risks and report concerns where there were any issues relating to people's safety. Medicines were managed safely. Care calls were monitored to ensure people did not experience missed visits.

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.

Staff were positive about the support and development opportunities they received. The provider ensured staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs.

Staff had a caring approach to their work and understood the importance of treating people with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and told us they were listened to.

People and relatives had developed positive relationships with care staff and management. People's care record's reflected their individual preferences and gave staff clear guidance about how people's needs were met.

Complaints were responded to in an open and transparent way, in line with the providers policy.

There were effective systems to monitor and improve the service, which included systems to gather people's feedback about the service.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The provider was given 48 hours notice of our intention to inspect the service. This is in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies.

Bluebird Care provides domiciliary care services to people who live in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were 47 people with a variety of care needs, including people with physical disabilities and mental health needs, 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Everyone we spoke with was complimentary about the service. People praised the care staff and valued having regular care staff that enabled them to build caring relationships. People spoke positively about the management of the service.

There was a positive caring culture, promoted by the management team. Staff were passionate about providing high quality care and clearly enjoyed their work. Staff felt supported by the management team, describing them as open and approachable.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and had access to development opportunities to improve their skills. Staff received specific training where it was required to support individual needs. 

People's needs were assessed and where any risks were identified, management plans were in place. People were supported in a way that recognised their rights to take risks.

There were systems in place to enable the service to gather feedback from people. Quality assurance systems were in place to enable the service to identify areas for improvement.

We have made a recommendation about the Mental Capacity Act.