Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Integration presented a report on the preparations for an inspection of the Council’s adult social care provision by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Cabinet Member advised that the CQC was aiming to assess all local authorities in England over a two-year period, starting later this year, and at least two London Boroughs were expected to be included in the first tranche of inspections.  The CQC inspection process would include a review of local authorities’ documentation, interviews with Council officers, Members, partners, service users and other stakeholders, evidence collection and the tracking of a number of case studies. 

As part of the Council’s preparations, a detailed self-assessment of adult social care in the Borough had been completed, which was set out in Appendix 1 to the report alongside a three-page summary document.  A draft Adult Social Care Improvement Plan had also been produced, explaining how the Council planned to address the core, systematic challenges in adult social care such as the significant funding pressures, the increasing complexity of individuals’ needs and health inequalities in the Borough. 

The Cabinet Member highlighted a number of the key points within the self-assessment documents and Improvement Plan and commended them as a very honest reflection of the strengths and areas for improvement within the service. 

Cabinet colleagues expressed their gratitude to officers and the Cabinet Member for their significant efforts in producing the documentation and encouraged all Members of the Council to read through the documents, as the information could prove particularly helpful at ward surgeries.  Reference was also made to the lack of Central Government funding for adult social care services and the hope that the CQC would take that into account in its inspection report.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the Adult Social Care full self-assessment and summary self-assessment, set out at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report respectively, as an accurate reflection of the Council’s Adult Social Care service; and

(ii)  Agree the Adult Social Care Improvement Plan, as set out at Appendix 3 to the report.