A CHARITY which provides services for people with disabilities has been praised by the care watchdog after it previously found its care home services to be ‘inadequate’.

Enham Trust was visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March this year, and on May 5 a report on the inspection was published.

The trust has been rated ‘good’ overall, nearly a year after a catalogue of concerns were raised by inspectors which rated it as ‘inadequate’.

The CQC ranks care home services against five criteria – safety, effectiveness, responsiveness, leadership and the level of care taken in the approach. Enham received a 'good' rating in all five areas.

READ MORE: Disability charity in special measures after care home services rated ‘inadequate’ by Care Quality Commission

In October last year, Enham merged with Aster Group, a housing association owning and maintaining around 36,000 homes across the south of England.

The report published by the CQC said: “Campus settings for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are not in line with current best practice. The provider was reviewing their service model in accordance with the principles of 'right support, right care, right culture' and with input from commissioners, people and their relatives.

“Despite the service's size we found people were supported in a way that was person-centred, and promoted choice, inclusion, control and independence.”

It continued: “Significant improvement had been made in respect of the premises, the care people received and the leadership within the organisation since the last inspection. People were supported to make choices about their future, including where they lived and who they were supported by.”

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Sharon Bye, director of care at Aster Group, said: “We’re pleased with the improved rating from the CQC. I’d like to thank my care colleagues who have worked incredibly hard over the past few months to get the Trust back on track.

“Enham Trust’s care home services are indispensable for the people that rely on them, both for a home and ongoing care support. It was absolutely crucial to this community that the team here were given the tools and resources needed to succeed.

“Following the merger between Enham and Aster Group, we immediately made it one of our top priorities to ensure services were safe and provided a positive experience for residents. The progress made in such a short period of time is very encouraging, and we remain committed to sustaining this improvement in the longer-term.”