- Homecare service
Abletrust Care
Assessment report published 25 September 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
The service is a domiciliary care agency. There were 78 people using the service at the time of the inspection.
Who the service is for
This service supports older people and people with physical and learning disabilities who are living in their own homes.
We carried out this assessment between 14 to 18 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found the provider was meeting this guidance.
Staff were aware of their responsibility to safeguard people from abuse. A staff member told us, “I know safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility; if there is any concern, I report this immediately to my manager or the appropriate safeguarding lead.” The provider reported any safeguarding concerns appropriately and worked with the local authority to ensure people were not at ongoing risk of abuse or neglect. Where shortfalls in people’s care had been identified, lessons were learnt to prevent recurrence. Policies were in place to inform staff how to whistle blow if they felt their concerns were not dealt with appropriately by the management team.
The provider’s electronic care call monitoring system allowed the management team to ensure staff arrived on time to care visits and stayed the required length of time. Staff informed people and the management team if they were running late due to unforeseen circumstances such as traffic. This allowed the management team to arrange alternative staff to carry out the care visit If required. If staff had not communicated lateness to the management team, the electronic monitoring system alerted them that a scheduled care visit was late. A staff member told us, “Managers monitor our attendance through the electronic call monitoring system. We are required to log in and log out at the start and end of each visit. The office team reviews this in real-time and will contact us if we are late or if a call is too short. Late arrivals and call durations are also audited and discussed in supervision.”
Staff were safely recruited into the service. This included obtaining references from previous employers and carrying out a Disclosure and Barring Service check. This identifies if a potential staff member has any previous convictions. Staff received training that was relevant to their role, with their knowledge being updated through refresher courses throughout their employment. A staff member told us, “Additional specialist training is also provided relevant to [the people we support], such as dementia care, epilepsy, and diabetes awareness.”
Pre-assessments were completed to ensure the provider could meet people’s needs before a care package commenced. These were then used to form the full care plans and risk assessments, which included information on people’s needs and how risks involved could be mitigated. This included risk assessments about the environment care was to be delivered in.
Staff followed safe infection prevention and control policies, such as wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when delivering care. Medicine administration and recording practices were safe. Each person’s care plan included a medication risk assessment which detailed what each prescribed medication was for and the possible side effects they could cause.
Staff were passionate in providing person centred care to people and recognised where changes to a person’s care routine could empower them to be in control of their day-to-day life. A staff member told us one person had requested to have their daily shower delivered during the lunch time care call rather than the morning call. The staff member raised this with the registered manager, and changes were made to the person’s care package to facilitate this. Staff were aware of the importance of empowering people to make choices in their day-to-day life and how they received their care. A staff member confirmed, “I allowed them to make their choice in terms of their care; I respect their right to choose or refuse care.”
Staff of all levels shared the same core values within the service and were able to confirm what these were. Staff felt the management team were supportive and approachable. A staff member confirmed, “The management team are supportive in every way.” They also confirmed that they were able to give feedback to the management team, and any suggestions made were considered and delivered where possible.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives were happy with the care they had received from the service. One relative told us, “They are an absolute godsend, and we would be absolutely lost without them. We were very lucky to find such a lovely group of people.”
People and their relatives confirmed staff arrived on time and stayed the full length of time. Care to people was also delivered by the same small group of staff, meaning they received consistency in their care. One relative told us, “There is no problem with their timing.” Another relative said, “There have been about two occasions when staff were delayed because they were held up with another client, but the service always contacted me to let me know. If [person] has an early appointment, I can contact them and ask for her to be ready by a certain time, and they make sure this happens.” A staff member confirmed, “I regularly support the same group of [people], which helps build trusting relationships and allows me to notice any changes in their health or wellbeing quickly.”
People and relatives told us staff were kind, compassionate and delivered dignified and person-centred care. One relative told us. “The carers are very caring and friendly. My [family member] is socially isolated, so having carers who engage positively with her and make her feel cared for is particularly helpful.” Another told us, “[Person] was initially very reluctant to have carers because she wanted to continue looking after herself. However, she now absolutely loves the carers, especially [staff member], who is fantastic with her. I cannot fault the care in any way.” A further relative said, “She likes the staff and finds them very nice and lovely towards her. they understand her needs. They do a great job and are always on top of things.” We also received feedback that staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible, but also provided care where support was required. People were encouraged to make choices where possible in order to give them control over their day-to-day life. This included decisions such as what they would like to eat, or what they would like to wear each day.
People and relatives confirmed they were involved in reviews of their care and were encouraged to provide feedback about their experience of the service. Any issues identified were dealt with in a timely manner. One relative told us, “There have occasionally been issues, but the company has been responsive when concerns have been raised, and we have been able to discuss them and find solutions.” Another relative added, “I have not had any concerns or complaints, but I know I can contact the service directly. Whenever I have needed to speak to someone, I have been able to ring them, and they deal with things straight away.”