Care Quality Commission rates Nottinghamshire’s Adult Social Care as ‘Good’
Adult social care services at Nottinghamshire County Council have been assessed as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission, following an inspection at the end of last year.
The inspection assessed the adult social care department’s work and how services are provided according to four themes: working with people, providing support, safety within the social care and health system, and leadership.
The inspectors met with social care colleagues, people who draw on care and support, people involved in coproduction and partners to get a full picture of the quality of adult social care provision and people’s experiences across the county.
The inspection report recognised what was done well. It highlighted:
solid foundations across adult social care and health services in Nottinghamshire, with the authority understanding the needs of local people
that most people who draw on adult social care services are happy with the quality of care they receive, generally feel safe and protected from harm
a strong prevention offer, through the maximising independence service, reablement support, technology enabled care and specialist equipment to help people remain living independently
that people felt listened to and strategies are coproduced with people who draw on services, demonstrating meaningful involvement that makes a real difference to people's lives
the skilled, committed and passionate staff working in adult social care.
However, it also pointed out areas where improvements were required, for example:
services were not always consistent across the county
people using services often had to repeat their story to different teams or agencies
instances where people experienced long waits to be assessed
support for carers was inconsistent and needs to be strengthened.
Councillor Barry Answer, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Nottinghamshire County Council said:
“It is fantastic news to hear we have been rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission. I’d like to thank colleagues and partners who were involved in sharing their views and experiences with the inspectors. Everyone working in adult social care does so because they are committed to making a real difference to improving the quality of life for our residents. We are all proud of this external validation.
“This is a good result, but we are not complacent. We are committed to continually making improvements so we can be the best we can."
Councillor Kelvin Wright, Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Nottinghamshire County Council said:
“Having been involved in several CQC visits in my NHS role, I fully understand the hard work that goes into the preparation and conduct of these visits. The outcome of Good is both rewarding for all the hard work that goes on in Adult Social Care but also reminds us that we can improve in areas which I know the team will be keen to take forward.”
Guy Van Dichele, Executive Director for Adult Social Care said:
“I'm absolutely delighted with the Care Quality Commissions assessment of us as a Local Authority and our delivery of Adult Social Care across the County to our residents resulting in an overall judgement of ‘Good’.
“Colleagues from across the council, our wider partners and our adult social care workforce both internally and externally gave CQC an opportunity to see a range of fantastic work that takes place across our county day in day out.
“I hope colleagues are proud of this achievement as am I.
“Of course, we will also listen to the feedback in the report and continue with our work to continue to make improvements so we can deliver the best adult social care services possible. I want to thank the Care Quality Commission for the work they did before, during and after their onsite visit in getting to know Nottinghamshire County Council's Adult Social Care Services from many angles and the judgement of the ‘Good’ rating they have concluded with overall.”
