BASW England Statement: Care Quality Commission Assessment Reports from the First Three Adult Social Care Assurance Visits
BASW England welcomes the recently published assessment reports from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concerning Hertfordshire, West Berkshire, and the London Borough of Hounslow local authorities. Each achieved an overall rating of "good," which is encouraging to see.
This is the first year the Care Quality Commission is reporting on its duties and responsibilities for the quality assurance of local authorities. The role and contribution of social workers under the Care Act 2014, along with the quality of assessments and care planning, are crucial. It is important to recognise that people's outcomes are significantly affected by the assessment of need and care planning.
An initial review of all three reports indicates a significant focus on data analysis. While this can be helpful, there is a lack of information about how data was verified or triangulated. There is no reference to personal budgets or the issue of sufficiency. Additionally, the reports appear to present a one-dimensional analysis, focusing heavily on process and procedure without establishing a clear benchmark for what "good" should look like.
All three reports would benefit from greater clarity about who was consulted during the visits, specifically the numbers of social workers, people with lived experience, and assurances about how marginalised groups within communities were represented and engaged. It is unclear whether all roles in adult social care e.g. middle and senior managers, such as Assistant Directors (ADs) or Heads of Service (HoS), were included in the discussions, which raises questions about the completeness of the information.
Although the CQC has been directed to publish financial information relating to each local authority, there is no analysis of what this means for the impact on adult social care. There is a notable absence of contextual information about the significant challenges many local authorities face regarding budgets and resources. These challenges impact the resilience of teams, which may well be dealing with significant vacancies and issues with sickness.
The reports' scoring system also appears broad and based on general judgements rather than substantial evidence, missing the opportunity to highlight areas for improvement. Local authorities often conduct self-assessments prior to the assurance visit which should identify areas for improvement. Acknowledging existing problems and presenting a plan to address the issues is seen as beneficial.
From initial review, all three reports appear to have been completed differently. It is accepted that the reports are the first to have been completed outside of the pilots using the new framework. BASW England adult group members will review any future reports to see if the difference in approach is repeated or whether there is greater consistency once the CQC has had the opportunity reflect upon the differences.
In the meantime, the BASW England adult social work group is keen to hear from social workers in adult social care teams within the three assessed local authorities. The group is interested in practitioners' perspectives, including any insights into the approach taken, information requested and provided, and feedback received following the process.
Information can be provided anonymously and emailed to england@basw.co.uk
If you are happy to be contacted to discuss your experience, please include your contact details in the email.