City council must improve social care access - CQC

A city council must improve residents' access to adult social care and support, inspectors have said.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors examined Sheffield City Council's services, including its support for working-age adults with disabilities, older people and unpaid carers.

Across nine different objectives, the council was assessed as needing improvement in eight, though the CQC said the authority had begun making improvements since the data was gathered.

Angela Argenzio, chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Committee, paid tribute to the council's "determined, hard-working and committed" and said the authority was "clear on what we need to do to make improvements".

Inspectors found the council had plans in place to improve its services, but they were not joined up into a coherent approach, meaning it was harder for the local authority to track its progress and demonstrate improvements.

Some people told inspectors they had waited longer than expected for assessments and reviews, while unpaid carers said they often spoke to different duty workers who were unfamiliar with their circumstances, which slowed the care planning process.

Some respondents said the council did not provide accessible telephone or website options, which made it harder to access information and advice, and although inspectors said the city had a "wide range of support available", this was not being communicated effectively.

People gave inspectors "mixed feedback" about safeguarding and risk management across services, and discharges from mental health hospitals were found to be processed slower than acute hospital discharges - meaning people were being unnecessarily sent to out-of-area placements.

However, respondents also praised council staff for being "kind and dedicated", and some said their assessments were completed promptly with appropriate involvement from their families.

Staff themselves were positive about the council's vision for adult social care, which was "embedded in how they approached their work", with leaders promoting "innovation and a culture of learning".

Staff were also found to work effectively with the council's partners, including attending joint reviews, securing funding and referring people to specialist teams.

The council was found to demonstrate a "strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with training in cultural competence and anti-racism provided", which translated to "people-centred care" which reflected people's faith and cultural needs.

Chris Badger, the CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: "The council's leaders understand what needs to change and have already begun implementing improvements.

"Staff remain committed to the vision, and there's a strong foundation of workforce development and community partnerships to build on.

"We'll continue to monitor progress and look forward to returning to see how their plans mature and the impact this has on their community."

Argenzio said the council was now focused on publishing its targeted improvement plan, "with the aim of making at least a 7% improvement in its next assessment which would mean a 'Good' rating".

She added: "We've already come a long way and we value the care and support that our staff and carers provide to our most vulnerable residents and who make a huge difference to so many people's lives.

"We will continue to support them and continue to innovate, improve and work hard.

"Whilst working within budgets is extremely challenging and demand is constantly rising that doesn't mean that we will lower our expectations about the quality of the services that we deliver."

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