Blueboard Care Services (Yewtree Avenue) retained a 'Requires Improvement' rating at this follow-up inspection, with a continued breach of Regulation 17 due to persistent failures in call planning and monitoring, including 36% of calls arriving more than 15 minutes late. Improvements were noted in medicines management, risk assessments, safeguarding, and infection control, but inconsistent culture, poor office communication, and unresolved staffing punctuality issues remain concerns.
Concerns (4)
criticalMissed or late visits: “36% of these calls were later than 15 minutes, with 1829 calls showing as later than 45 minutes. 1103 calls showed as short calls, where staff stayed for less than half the time allocated.”
criticalGovernance: “The provider had not planned travel time for more than 60% of their calls, which may impact on why staff would be late or leave calls before they should.”
moderatePerson-centred care: “I've phoned the office and told them the new staff are untrained and don't know what to do. Sometimes, I don't think that there is any point in complaining to the office.”
moderateCommunication with families: “The office staff are diabolical. I ring them up to cancel a restart, and they don't listen. They just don't listen. They answer calls quickly but get it all wrong!”
Strengths
· Medicines management improved since last inspection; provider no longer in breach of Regulation 12.
· Risk assessments now completed correctly with relevant person-centred information.
· Robust safeguarding systems in place; staff trained to recognise and report abuse.
· Infection control measures were strong, with adequate PPE stock and spot-check monitoring.
· Staff recruitment included DBS checks, identity verification, and reference checks.
Quality-Statement breakdown (10)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentRequires improvement
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people; Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles; Continuous learning and improving careRequires improvement
well-led: Promoting a positive, person-centred, open and inclusive cultureRequires improvement
well-led: Duty of candourGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people, the public and staffRequires improvement