Councils sustain improvements in adult care provision

Local authorities managed to sustain recent improvements in the provision of adult social care in 2009/10, the Care Quality Commission has reported in its final annual performance assessment under the existing framework.

The CQC’s report found that joint commissioning and monitoring of services were more widespread. “This was a key strength in half of all councils,” the watchdog said. However, it was also an area for improvement in a third of local authorities.

Other key findings from the report include:

• Some 95% of all 152 councils were assessed as performing well or excellently
• Just seven were assessed as performing adequately, “and must improve”
• For the seventh year running, no councils were rated poor
• Areas such as dignity and respect, choice and control, and emotional health and well-being continued to improve.

Significantly, the report also revealed that the number of concerns reported to councils under the adult safeguarding system increased by nearly a third, to 103,000 referrals. The watchdog put this down to a growing awareness of safeguarding through public information campaigns and closer working between councils and health agencies.

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: “The large majority of councils provide good standards of care, whether they run the services themselves or commission them from the private or voluntary sectors. But a few need to improve considerably before they can say they are providing good services for local people.

“Our experience is that good performance is the result of strong leadership and commitment by elected councillors and service managers, working together with a skilled and dedicated workforce. They encourage people to be actively involved in shaping their own care packages, and they develop and commission the services that meet people’s individual needs.”

Bower added that the best-performing councils worked closely with health agencies to deliver joined-up care.

The arrangements for performance assessment, in operation since 2002, are to change for 2010/11, with the emphasis on councils taking more responsibility for driving and monitoring improvement locally.

The CQC is currently working with a range of organisations – including the Local Government Group and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services – to design this new system of performance assessment.

Cllr David Rogers, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, hailed the fact that 95% of councils performed well or excellently as a great achievement.

He said: “Councils across the country work tirelessly to provide the best possible level of social care so people in need can enjoy the respect and dignity they deserve. It’s testament to this dedication that the vast majority of town halls continually improve their services every year, giving more elderly and vulnerable people control of their own lives and independence.”

However, Rogers also warned that would be “very hard times in the years ahead” as local government faces up to a multi-billion pound shortfall in its adult social care budget.

“Tough decisions will have to be made and councils will have to work harder than ever to keep building on this good record,” he argued.