Sandwell Asian Family Support is a domiciliary care service rated Good across all five key questions at its December 2019 inspection, maintaining the rating from its previous inspection in 2017. The service demonstrated consistent, culturally sensitive care for 14 families including children and young adults, with strong leadership, robust governance systems and a committed, well-trained workforce.
Strengths
· Consistent staffing with long-term relationships between staff and people supported, some lasting 17 years
· Bilingual staff able to communicate with people and relatives in their preferred language
· Culturally competent care reflecting diverse nationalities, religions and dietary needs including Halal requirements
· Electronic monitoring system alerting managers to late or missed calls, ensuring timely support
· Robust recruitment process including enhanced DBS checks and full employment history review
Sandwell Asian Family Support received a Good rating across all five key questions at its first inspection in July 2017, demonstrating safe, personalised care delivered by well-trained, consistent staff matched to individuals' cultural and communication needs. The main governance concern was the unresolved registered manager vacancy following a resignation in March 2017, though effective interim management arrangements were in place.
Concerns (2)
moderateGovernance: “The service had a manager that was registered with us; however they had resigned from their post in March 2017.”
minorPerson-centred care: “The information supplied to people when they started using the service did not include information in relation to local advocacy services.”
Strengths
· People were supported by a consistent small group of regular care staff who arrived on time and stayed for the allotted call duration.
· Robust recruitment processes were in place with relevant checks and references completed before care staff worked unsupervised.
· Care staff were well trained with access to a comprehensive induction, regular supervision, and a range of relevant training topics.
· Care was personalised and skill-matched to individuals, with care plans reflecting preferences, communication needs, and cultural backgrounds.
· Regular audits and quality assurance checks were undertaken, with remedial action taken when issues were identified.
Quality-Statement breakdown (15)
safe: People were protected from avoidable harm with risk assessments in place and observed by care staff.Good
safe: Medicines were managed safely with completed MAR records and trained care staff.Good
safe: Recruitment practices ensured relevant checks were completed before unsupervised working.Good
effective: Care staff received comprehensive induction, ongoing training, and regular supervision.Good
effective: Care staff supported people in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.Good
effective: People were supported to maintain their health and individual dietary requirements were met.Good
caring: People were supported by kind, compassionate care staff who respected privacy and dignity.Good
caring: People and families were actively involved in planning care and care staff were skill-matched to individuals.Good
caring: Care staff supported people to maintain independence in day-to-day decisions.Good
responsive: Care plans were personalised, regularly reviewed and reflected individual needs and preferences.Good
responsive: Complaints were acknowledged, investigated and responded to in line with the provider's policy.Good
responsive: People were supported to access community activities and the provider's drop-in centre.Good
well-led: Effective management support was maintained following the registered manager's resignation.Good
well-led: Regular audits and quality assurance checks were undertaken with effective follow-up action.Good
well-led: A positive, open culture existed with staff encouraged to raise concerns and feedback actively sought from people and families.Good