Bluebird Care Bristol has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care services in England. Only 1% of home care providers receive this rating.
The CQC rating was awarded following a comprehensive inspection in November 2018 and is a significant achievement, making Bluebird Care Bristol one of the best home care providers in the area.
Bluebird Care Bristol provides flexible and high-quality homecare and support services to people living in their own homes in the community, including older people and those with mental health, physical disability or sensory impairment needs. The team provide a variety of services, including Dementia Care, Respite Care, End of Life Support, Live-in Care, Night Care & Support and Specialist Care services for a wide range of other medical conditions.
The CQC’s report stated that customers, their relatives and healthcare professionals were “exceptionally happy with the care and support provided by Bluebird Care Bristol.” The report also mentioned that those working for or in some way involved with Bluebird Care Bristol felt “people were at the heart of the service”. The report also highlighted comments from relatives of customers, including: “I find them all absolutely wonderful without exception, they know what they are doing”. One customer said: “we are so happy, of course we feel safe, without exception”.
The effectiveness of the service was also praised by inspectors, who felt that “people were supported by staff who had undergone a thorough induction programme, which gave them the skills to care for people effectively”. A customer said “I don’t know where they find [the staff], they are so well trained and so kind, each and every one of them, they are like family”. Staff members were also commended for ensuring other health and social care professionals were involved to “encourage health promotion whenever possible”.
Additionally, the report found that the service provided ‘Outstanding’ quality of care. The service was found to be “exceptionally caring”, and across the board, staff, customers, relatives and health care professionals gave high praise. The report highlighted the implementation of a scheme to give additional care and support to people when they were admitted to hospital. Each person who was admitted to hospital received a free visit from their key carer, as well as being sent a get-well card and a small teddy bear to remind them that all the staff were thinking of them.
The responsiveness of the service provided at Bluebird Care Bristol was also deemed to be ‘Outstanding’. Customers and relatives said where they had needed to make changes or improvements these had all been listened and responded to. Inspectors also pointed out that care was planned according to how care and support best fitted into each person’s lives, with people choosing how much support they required and when it was delivered.
Fundamentally, the service was said to “play a key role in the community”. The inspectors felt the service had a strong, visible person-centred culture at all levels. The service ensured people were made to feel valued and that they mattered.
Tim Rowland-Jones, Director of Bluebird Care Bristol, said:
“I am immensely proud of this rating and I am so pleased that the CQC have seen all the hard work and dedication that the Bluebird Care Bristol team have been putting in. The team work so well together and always go above and beyond for their customers.
“This is reflected in the individual ‘outstanding’ service ratings in the caring nature of our service, as well as the responsiveness of the staff and services at Bluebird Care Bristol. As the report has highlighted, we provide a personalised service, by supporting our customers with small, local teams that are given the chance to build personal and caring relationships.
“The whole Bluebird Care Bristol team will continue to work every day to maintain this ‘Outstanding’ service and put our customers and their needs first. It is a great privilege to work with staff and customers who are such wonderful people and I am so grateful for their continued support and dedication to Bluebird Care Bristol.”
Yvonne Hignell, Managing Director of Bluebird Care, said:
“This is such wonderful news for the Bluebird Care Bristol team. They are such a hard working group of individuals and the leadership at this office has a lot to do with its strong success.
“I would like to congratulate Tim and all the team at Bluebird Care Bristol and look forward to seeing what is to come for this franchise in the future.”
