This announced inspection took place on 22, 23 and 26 November 2018. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because the service provides care to people living in their own homes and we wanted to make sure staff would be available to speak with us.

There was 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.

Bluebird Care UK is a national franchise. A franchise is when a franchisee (the provider) has bought the rights to sell a specific company's products in a particular area using the company's name. Throughout the report we have referred to Bluebird Care (Torbay) as Bluebird Care.

Bluebird Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using Bluebird Care received 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. The service currently supports 34 people in the community receiving a regulated activity.

At our last inspection we rated the service good.

At this inspection we rated the service as outstanding this was because the provider had made significant improvements to the service since the last inspection.

Why have we rated this service as Outstanding?

The service demonstrated a clear commitment to promoting a strong and visible person centred, caring culture by providing a service which put people at the heart of everything they did. Kindness, respect, dignity and compassion were key principles on which the service was built. The provider told us, “Delivering the highest standard of homecare and support is our absolute goal.”

People were extremely complimentary about Bluebird Care and the staff who supported them. Without exception, people said they received exceptionally high quality, compassionate care. People gave us a number of examples of where staff had gone ‘over and above’ what was required of them. One person said, “I couldn’t ask for better. They are all so lovely and very caring. They ‘mother’ me and make me feel special.” Another person told us, “The team are an essential part of my day. They let me know that someone out there, cares for me.”

Staff were highly motivated and spoke passionately about the people they supported and wanted to provide excellent care for people. One said, “I love my job. It’s all about making a difference.”

The service ensured each person was supported by a small team of staff which enabled people to build trusting relationships. This aspect of the service was very much appreciated by the people we spoke with. One person said, “They are very good at getting one of the staff I know well to go with me to appointments. I can relax and sit back. I value their support.”

People received personalised care which was delivered in accordance with their wishes and lifestyle. The management team carried out assessments which looked at people's interests and lifestyle choices as well as their needs. This enabled them to match people to staff who shared their values and therefore helped them to build relationships. For example, one person used to be a semi-professional musician. They were matched with a staff member who also had a strong interest in music. The staff member told us, “It helps that we both like talking about music and have a shared interest. Some days we just sit and have a chat. He’s very interesting and I love to hear about his time playing.”

The provider and staff were constantly looking at innovative ways in which they could enrich th

Bluebird Care (Torbay) provides care and support to mostly older people, who live in their own homes. The services provided include personal care and domestic work for people living in Paignton, Torquay, Brixham, and the surrounding areas.

The service did not have 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. The registered manager had left the service in December 2015. The provider was managing the day to day running of the service. They were actively recruiting for a new manager.

We visited the office on 5 May 2016. We carried out phone calls to people and their relatives on 10 May 2016. We carried out home visits on 10 and 13 May 2016. At the time of this announced inspection 24 people were receiving personal care from the service. The service was registered in April 2014 and this was the first inspection.

People were really pleased with the way staff treated them. Each person we spoke with told us their care workers were kind, caring and compassionate. Comments included “It’s been really good, they do find good staff, they really do seem to care” and “Enormously caring”. Staff spoke about the people they cared for with compassion and concern. People told us staff were respectful and polite. We saw staff and people interact in a friendly way. People were pleased to see the staff. The staff knew people well and chatted with them with warmth and laughter. Staff checked if they could do anything else for each person before leaving. When a staff member left one person, they said to the staff “Thank you for all that you do”.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe and comfortable when staff were in their home and when they received care. People told us “I feel safe, I’ve never felt uncomfortable” and “I know the staff”. Staff knew how to recognise signs of potential abuse and understood how to report any concerns in line with the service’s safeguarding policy. Safe staff recruitment procedures were in place. This helped reduce the risk of the provider employing a person who may be a risk to vulnerable people.

People told us they had a regular team of staff who had the appropriate skills to meet their needs. Comments included “I’m very happy with them, they meet all my needs” and “They do something right in the training, they have good staff”. Staff told us they were happy with the training they received. The service employed a training officer who provided face to face training. New staff completed training before going out to visit people. Staff told us they felt well supported and had regular opportunities to discuss their work.

People told us staff were usually on time. Comments included “They always arrive on time”; “They’re always here within a few minutes of the agreed time” and “It’s never rushed”. People told us they were usually told about any changes. Staff told us they were usually able to get to their visits on time. Staff told us if they needed more travel time between visits, this was addressed.

Care plans were developed with the person they related to. They described in detail the support the person needed to manage their day to day health needs. Staff knew people well and were able to tell us how they supported people. During home visits, we saw staff responded to people’s requests, met their needs appropriately, and knew how they liked things to be done. The service was aware some people may be at risk of becoming socially isolated. One staff member commented “Some people don’t see family I’m there every day, it’s nice for them to have some company”. Staff supported people to take part in activities and outings. Examples included fishing trips, encouraging people to go for a walk, goi