Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director, Adult Social Care

The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, submitted a report (previously circulated) which provided an update on the reforms to Adult Social Care. Members were informed that since the previous report the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection ratings for the five Local Authority pilot areas had been published.

Members were advised that assessing how local authorities had met their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act (2014) was a new responsibility for CQC, and that during the pilots the CQC looked at nine of the quality statements to assess how well each local authority was meeting its responsibilities, and that this had enabled the CQC to give an indicative rating. The submitted report stated that the CQC had found some similar themes across all five local authorities, however that there were different practices across the five local authorities in how they worked with young people who are transitioning from Children’s Services to Adult Services.

The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, reported that the CQC had now updated their guidance on how they will assess local authorities, as required by the Health and Care Act 2022. Members were informed that the CQC would be starting assessments from January 2024 onwards, with assessments being undertaken in cohorts of 20 authorities every three months, which would enable the CQC to assess all authorities within two years. The submitted report outlined the position of this local authority in terms of inspection preparedness.

The submitted report also highlighted that the proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act 2022 had been delayed and would not be enacted prior to the next UK Parliamentary (General) Election.

Members entered into discussion on the amount of notice the CQC would provide ahead of an inspection, and welcomed the proactive approach adopted by this authority in terms of readiness for inspection; and requested further information on the work around discharging people from all hospitals, including Mental Health hospitals.   

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.