First three councils to receive ratings from CQC for adult social care assessed as ‘good’
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has awarded ‘good’ ratings for adult social care provision at three councils – marking the first time the regulator has assessed how well local authorities are delivering on their duties under the Care Act 2014.
Hertfordshire County Council, Hounslow Council and West Berkshire Council were all assessed as ‘good’, the second top rating behind outstanding, for their adults’ services performance.
The CQC looked at the following nine areas to assess how well the authorities are meeting their responsibilities: ‘how the local authority works with people’, ‘supporting people to lead healthier lives’, ‘equity in experience and outcomes’, ‘providing support (care provision, integration and continuity)’, ‘partnership and communities’, ‘how the local authority ensures safety in the system’, ‘safeguarding’, ‘leadership’, and ‘learning, improvement and innovation’.
The regulator gave each of the nine areas a score out of four, with one being the evidence shows “significant shortfalls”, and four showing an “exceptional standard”.
Hertfordshire County Council received the highest rating of 4 for ‘partnership and communities’, and a score of 3 for all other areas.
The assessment team found there was “a wealth of easily available information” to help people understand what support was available for them. Further, there were “long term, strong, effective relationships” with the NHS Trusts and the Voluntary, Community, Faith, Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector which was improving the offer of support available to people.
However, the assessment team also found there has been a 10% increase in requests for support over the last year which has led to longer waiting lists for people.
Further, it found that whilst there were many strategies in place which talked of people at risk of inequalities with regard to health and social care, there lacked one overall strategy which linked all of those together and clearly identified the work taking place with different groups and communities.
Hounslow Council received a score of 2 out of 4 for ‘how the local authority works with people’ and ‘supporting people to lead healthier lives’ - suggesting room for improvement. However, all other areas were scored as 3.
The assessment team noted that leaders at Hounslow had a “good awareness” of the areas where they needed to develop and improve. Additionally, the local authority worked with partners to promote people’s independence and work on their resilience, to reduce or delay the need to be admitted to a residential health or care setting.
Data showed that 86% of people from Hounslow who had received short term support no longer required ongoing support.
However, the assessment team also found that carers in Hounslow felt “less supported” than people who used services. Further, people couldn’t always access equipment and minor adaptations “to maintain their independence quickly enough”.
West Berkshire Council received a score of 3 for 5 of the assessed areas, and a score of 2 for the remaining 4 – making it the poorest performing local authority out of the three.
However, the assessment team praised the local authority for the way it assessed and charged adults for care and support – which was “clear, transparent, and consistently applied”.
The CQC found that teams “worked well” across the local authority which ensured people’s support was planned and coordinated across different agencies and services, with safeguarding in particular “working effectively” to keep people safe at all stages of their care journey.
James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “Going forward, the authority needs to make sure they’re addressing some of the digital barriers to accessing care where people, particularly in rural areas, didn’t have access to computers or the internet. They could utilise voluntary groups to do this as well as support them with understanding local needs and planning services. And looking to the future they need to prioritise the development of strategies around market shaping, prevention and co production including links with the voluntary sector in order to meet future care needs and respond to changing demands.
“Overall, West Berkshire Council should be pleased with this assessment. They’ve built a great foundation on which to build their future plans and make improvements. We look forward to returning to see how they’ve done this and how their current plans mature.”
In summer 2023, the regulator completed five pilot assessments to test its assessment framework, methods and processes. The pilot assessments were evaluated in December 2023, and it was found the pilot process “prompted improvements within local authorities”.
The first formal local authority assessment reports, published this month, come 10 years after the Care Act 2014 legislation received Royal Assent on 14 May 2014.
Lottie Winson
