A-Star Care Solutions-Main Office

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans were person centred and clearly described people’s support needs and preferences. People and their families were involved in regular reviews of care, which took place both routinely and when changes to support were required. Staff understood which changes in people’s needs or presentation they needed to escalate and maintained close communication with families to ensure care remained appropriate and responsive.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People supported by the service were privately funded and lived with their families. As a result, there was limited routine involvement with external professionals. However, staff and managers demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of working collaboratively with people, families, and other professionals when required to ensure care remained appropriate and responsive.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People had communication plans in place that clearly recorded how they communicated, how they understood information, and how their communication needs might present. The service sourced carers who spoke the same languages as people whenever possible to ensure communication needs were met. This approach supported people to remain central to discussions and fully included in information about their care.

Care plans and supporting information were available in different languages and preferred formats where required. The service also organised community events and provided written information in a range of languages to support accessibility and inclusion.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Families told us they found it very easy to stay in contact with the service and consistently praised the management team for their responsiveness, including outside of normal working hours. One relative told us, “For example, last time (manager) came out, we had a chat and then straight away the next day he called and said, just follow up from yesterday and I'm going to action this. The day after it was being actioned straight away and followed up and confirmed with us”.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Staff shared relevant information with the office team and families to ensure any changes in needs or emerging concerns were communicated promptly. This supported continuity and responsiveness of care. Staff also supported people to access the community when required.

The manager supported people to overcome language barriers when accessing health services. This helped ensure communication with external professionals was accurate and enabled people to receive appropriate care and treatment.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored care, support and treatment in response to this.

The provider was passionate about understanding the cultural and religious needs of people and the language barriers to people and their families accessing care services.

Events had been held in Mosques, Temples and Churches and within local communities to assist in opening up conversations about the positive aspects of care, exploring its place in society and signposting to services when required. The provider had been in discussions with local Mosques and Temples for these to become regular events. Part of this work had also involved outside professionals providing advice and basic health checks arranged by the provider.

The service had a diverse workforce, and managers had listened to their views on barriers to care. As a result, the service had made a special effort to understand languages, religious needs and the cultural norms of African, Arabic and South Asian countries to ensure care was promoted and accessible to all.

The provider supported people to plan for significant life changes so they had sufficient time to make informed decisions about their future, including decisions at the end of life.

At the time of the assessment, the service did not support anyone with end‑of‑life care needs. The manager explained that, if people developed end‑of‑life needs, the service would complete a dedicated assessment with the person and their family. This would ensure care reflected people’s wishes, preferences, and needs. The provider had appropriate policies in place to support the delivery of end‑of‑life care when required.