Bluebird Care (Welwyn & Hatfield) was rated Good overall with an Outstanding rating for Responsive, reflecting a strong person-centred culture in which staff consistently went above and beyond to support people's independence, social inclusion and individual interests. Significant improvements had been made since the previous inspection, including the introduction of electronic call monitoring that eliminated missed visits and strengthened governance.
Strengths
· No missed calls recorded since the beginning of the inspection year, supported by an electronic call monitoring system alerting staff to late visits.
· Staff went beyond their job role to support people's social inclusion, interests and hobbies, including organising community outings, creative activities and celebrations.
· Strong person-centred culture embedded at all levels, with long-standing staff familiar with people's individual needs and preferences.
· Robust medicines management with complete MAR records, regular audits and proactive resupply processes.
· Effective recruitment, induction and ongoing supervision processes including competency-based shadowing and unannounced spot checks.
Quality-Statement breakdown (18)
safe: People are protected from abuse and avoidable harmGood
safe: Risks to people's safety and wellbeing are assessed and managedGood
safe: Staffing levels are sufficient to meet people's needsGood
safe: Recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitableGood
safe: Medicines are managed safelyGood
effective: Staff have the skills and training to provide effective careGood
effective: Consent is sought in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005Good
effective: People's nutritional and hydration needs are metGood
effective: People are supported by a range of health professionalsGood
caring: People are treated with kindness, dignity and respectGood
caring: People are involved in decisions about their careGood
caring: People's independence is promotedGood
responsive: Care is personalised and responsive to individual needs and preferencesOutstanding
responsive: People are supported to avoid social isolation and pursue interestsOutstanding
responsive: Complaints and concerns are handled effectivelyGood
well-led: Leadership is visible, approachable and supports staffGood
well-led: Quality assurance and governance systems are effectiveGood
well-led: Records are accurate and well maintainedGood
This targeted inspection of Bluebird Care (Welwyn & Hatfield) focused on staffing levels, training, sickness management and document security, finding adequate staffing and strong COVID-19 protocols but noting a social distancing breach in the office and gaps in hands-on training delivery. No ratings were changed; the service retains its previous overall rating of Good.
Concerns (3)
moderateInfection control — “We were not assured that the provider was meeting shielding and social distancing rules...staff did not always adhere to social distancing in the office environment.”
minorRecord keeping — “there were gaps where the blinds were not properly secured. This meant there was a potential risk of someone accessing sight of documents they were not authorised to view.”
minorStaff training — “some areas of training, such as moving and handling and safe administration of medication, were not appropriate to be delivered by remote means”
Strengths
· Enough staff were deployed to meet people's needs safely; concerns about excessively long hours were not substantiated by rotas.
· Registered manager took immediate action to address document confidentiality risk identified during inspection.
· COVID-19 sickness management policy in place; staff sent home if unwell and required negative test before returning.
· PPE was readily available and staff were following latest government guidance.
· Staff reported management to be very supportive during the pandemic.
Quality-Statement breakdown (3)
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementNot rated
safe: Staffing and recruitmentNot rated
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionNot rated
Bluebird Care (Welwyn & Hatfield) was rated Requires Improvement overall at its November 2015 inspection, with the main concerns being the absence of real-time monitoring for missed care calls and insufficient governance systems to track incidents, complaints and drive improvement. The service demonstrated genuine strengths in caring relationships, person-centred practice, staff training and medicines management, all of which were rated Good.
Concerns (5)
criticalMissed or late visits — “staff did not arrive to provide care to one person on a Saturday yet this was not discovered until the following Monday.”
moderateGovernance — “reviewing of incidents, accidents, complaints and call times was not an area that was responsive or that considered emerging patterns, themes or trends.”
moderateConsent / capacity — “one person had only an LPA in place for financial matters, when the decisions made were health related, which meant the appropriate consents were not in place.”
minorRecord keeping — “minutes for a recent meeting merely noted, 'Mobile phones' or 'Meds and Mar charts.' There was no other notes made available.”
minorRecord keeping — “when recording the amount of fluids a person consumed they had not referenced the quantities.”
Strengths
· Staff were trained to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns and knew how to report both internally and externally.
· Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed, including DBS checks, employment histories and verified references.
· Staff completed a structured induction programme with competency assessments before working unsupervised.
· People received personalised, person-centred care matched to their preferences, interests and routines.
· Staff developed meaningful, compassionate relationships with people and supported social inclusion activities.
Quality-Statement breakdown (12)
safe: Monitoring of missed or late care callsRequires improvement
safe: Safeguarding training and reportingGood
safe: Recruitment practicesGood
safe: Medicines managementGood
effective: Consent and mental capacityRequires improvement
effective: Staff training and supervisionGood
effective: Health and nutritional needsGood
caring: Dignity, respect and involvement in care planningGood