Reablement Provider Service

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (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 had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider, registered manager, management team and staffs’ commitment of a shared vision, strategy and culture were measured by the positive outcomes people experienced, which was evidenced, in part by data. The provider’s analysis of data for 2025 identified the reablement service supported 1,673 people of which, 74% required no ongoing care and support. Key stakeholders shared their views as to the success of the reablement service in achieving good outcomes for people. A key stakeholder told us, “The reablement service appears to achieve a high percentage of success in supporting people to remain at home after their short-term involvement.”

The reablement service was part of the local authorities ‘home first model’, working with key stakeholders and partner agencies. The service provided was bespoke and tailored, facilitated through a cohesive and co-ordinated system wide approach, which enabled staff to provide individualised support to people in their recovery, reablement and rehabilitation journey.

The key values and strategic goals of the service were fully understood by the management team and staff, who worked continuously with partner agencies and services to deliver a good quality service. The culture of the service was positive, and the staff team’s commitment to the delivery of the visions and values was tangible in their conversations and discussions. Key stakeholders were equally positive about the culture of the service, and the delivery of its values. A key stakeholder told us, “Frequent engagement with other partners ensures a considered continuity of support being offered by the reablement service.”

Staff spoke passionately about their role and demonstrated commitment in delivering high quality care and good outcomes for people. A member of staff told us, “I love my job, I love to help people, to encourage in maximising their independence.”

Equality and diversity were actively promoted across the service and embedded into everyday practices, which included staff recruitment and training. Assessments of people’s needs considered protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act, and were considered as part of staff rostering, to ensure for example, that staff were able to converse with people in their preferred language and understood their cultural needs. Key information was available in a range of languages, and formats and reviewed independently with consideration to people’s communication needs.

The registered manager and management teams’ oversight and monitoring ensured any risks to the delivery of the strategy, including local factors were understood and planned for as documented within the provider’s contingency scenarios and response plans, and through meetings with key stakeholders and partner agencies to plan and respond to wider system pressures.

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The reablement service was led by a registered manager who had been in post for nearly a decade, evidencing sustained leadership. The registered manager kept up to date with good practice and the changing landscape of health and social care through ongoing learning and development, and engagement with key stakeholders. The registered manager had kept under review the requirements of the service and had made changes to the structure of the management team, which included the creating of new managerial roles, which had been successfully appointed to.

The registered manager and management team were highly visible and led by example, modelling inclusive behaviours. They had the experience, capacity and capability to ensure that the organisations visions were delivered, and risks were managed well. The registered manager was proactive in responding to information which could be indicative of a poor culture and potentially affect the quality of people’s care or have a detrimental impact on staff. This was facilitated by responding to concerns, incidents or feedback, and by taking appropriate action where required, through the implementation of the provider’s policies and procedures.

Staff were consistent in their praise of the registered manager and management team, of their support and availability. A member of staff told us, “The managers support us a lot, there is always someone on duty to provide support, they are available until we finish all our care visits.” Another member of staff said, “Managers are always on site. We have 100% support. Managers are always available on MS teams or e-mail, they reply straight away.”

Key stakeholder and partner agencies recognised the skills and credibility of the management team to work collaboratively with them, embodying the culture and values of the service, and the context in which care and support was provided. A key stakeholder told us, “Having regular multi-disciplinary meetings, alongside weekly operational meetings, enables open, honest communication across all services, identifying areas for service improvements and developments.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The provider and registered manager acted with openness, honesty and transparency. They promoted staff empowerment and encouraged staff to raise concerns. This was facilitated through staff supervision, meetings and the availability and approachability of the management team. Staff’s views were sought in relation to people’s care and progress, which enabled them to directly affect and improve the quality of care people received.

We noted a culture of openness, evidenced by staff’s demeanour and confidence in speaking with and sharing their views and opinions with the management team. A member of staff told us, “The service is always keen to get feedback. I do tell them how things are going. They want to know how the people I see are getting on.”

The provider had a whistle-blower policy, which staff could use to share information of concern, which was accessible to staff.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider had a corporate equality and diversity strategy, which focused and reviewed the culture of the organisation, in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion. Policies and procedures relating to the work force which included employment and ongoing accountability were written with consideration to equality, diversity and inclusion and the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act. For example, an external speaker had attended the service to talk about the impact and effects of the menopause, and a support group within the reablement service had been established for women experiencing the menopause.

The registered manager celebrated the diversity of the workforce recognising the value and importance of a diverse team in enabling the service to achieve positive outcomes for people, facilitated through staffs understanding knowledge and understanding of the diversity of the population it supported. A member of staff told us, “I work within a diverse team of staff, supporting and meeting the needs of the communities we serve.”

The registered manager shared how staff rotas and working patterns were adjusted to respect religious observance, such as Ramadan and Diwali. Wherever possible, duties were redistributed or adapted to ensure staff were not placed in conflict between their work and their beliefs. They advised these adjustments had minimal impact on service delivery but had strengthened trust and staff retention.

Staff who required additional support due to disability, health, neurodivergence or personal circumstances were supported by tailored wellbeing plans, and where required, included referrals to occupational health or mental health resources. A member of staff we spoke with confirmed they were supported through flexible working arrangements.

Wellbeing was considered to be of significant importance by the registered manager, with many staff having attended a workshop recently facilitated by an external organisation. The registered manager spoke of this being the beginning of a process and journey, and as part of the well-being workshops had asked staff what it was, they wanted to happen next.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had clear and effective governance, management and accountability arrangements in place. This was achieved through ongoing monitoring across all areas of service delivery. For example, feedback from key stakeholders and partner agencies, people who used the service, and its staff. Ongoing monitoring of systems and processes, which included the auditing of records, systems and processes, enabled the registered manager to monitor the safety and quality of the service provided.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities, with managers being able to account for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff. This was achieved by supporting and monitoring staff, through observation, supervision and training and development.

The performance of the service was kept under continuous review, working collaboratively on an ongoing basis with key stakeholders and partner agencies to deliver a service which focused on quality, the mitigation of risk and continuous improvement. A key stakeholder told us, “The reablement service collaborates closely with commissioners, providers and partner through shared governance, co-production and continuous improvement, ensuring service development is informed by operational insight, population need and system priorities.”

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Key stakeholders and partner agencies comments were unequivocal in acknowledging the significance of collaborative working, and of the positive impact on people as they moved between services. A key stakeholder said, “The reablement service supports safe and effective transitions through early planning, coordinated multi-agency working and a strong focus on individual outcomes, ensuring people experience timely, well-managed moves between services.”

The registered manager and management team engaged with people, communities and key stakeholders and partner agencies to share learning with each other, leading to continuous improvements in the service. For example, a key stakeholder was aware of the implementation of events designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the service. A key stakeholder told us, “The reablement service is currently supporting the staff via a series of events. These sessions having included the focus on obtaining and recording information, staff wellbeing and positive thinking. Overall, these sessions were designed to improve the outcome of people being supported.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The registered manager and management team were committed to ongoing monitoring to measure the outcomes and impact of the service provided. Systems and processes were in place to learn from events when things went wrong and worked in collaboration with key stakeholders and partner agencies to review the effectiveness of the reablement service in the context of the wider health and social care landscape. A key stakeholder told us, “The service demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement, using learning from practice, feedback and system insight to refine how support is delivered for the people it serves. This includes a willingness to test and adopt new approaches that improve outcomes, experience and flow across the system.”

The registered manager shared how the service in recent years had implemented the triple R model, of rehabilitation, reablement and recovery, which was now fully embedded. The service by working with the provider’s Integrated Crisis Response Service, was now able to provide support to people with more complex needs, which included those requiring 2 staff, which facilitated people’s discharge from hospital, improving both the outcomes for the person, and by reducing pressures on the wider health care system.

As part of the provider’s commitment to the development of an enhanced management structure to better support staff and improve internal accountability, plans were in motion to introduce dedicated quality assurance, absence management, safeguarding and complaints leads. The aim being to strengthen learning, oversight, and responsiveness across the service.

The provider had introduced the ‘OneTouch electronic care monitoring system, which provided accessible electronic data and information as to people’s care needs, which could be accessed by key partner and agencies within the social care sector. This had contributed to effective sharing of information, improved communication, directly affecting the service people received as it facilitated timely referrals, including requests for additional resources and equipment.