Norfolk County Council told it 'requires improvement' by CQC
The Care Quality Commission says the authority needs to do better in how it helps people access adult social care and support
County Hall has been told it 'requires improvement' in how it helps people access adult social care and support.
This comes from the Care Quality Commission who gave the second lowest ranking in all but one of the nine areas they assessed.
What did this investigation find?
1) Norfolk County Council's ongoing transformation work had not yet led to consistent improvements.
2) Adult social care service told CQC they often waited too long for feedback after raising safeguarding concerns,
3) Partners told CQC people struggled with employing personal assistants, especially in rural areas with travel and workforce challenges
4) Staff and leaders told CQC that care staff sometimes faced discrimination or abuse from people they were supporting.
However, positives were also found:
1) The local authority worked intensively to improve adult social care quality, with staff spending significant time to support services facing challenges
2) County Hall involved more than 260 people in designing the Norfolk All Age Autism Strategy 2024–2029.
3) Norfolk County Council monitored ethnicity data to identify and address inequalities in access and outcomes.
Scoring key:
1 = Evidence shows significant shortfalls
2- Evidence shows some shortfalls
3= Evidence shows a good standard
4= Evidence shows an exceptional standard
"The local authority needs to do more work"
Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said
“During our inspection of Norfolk County Council, we found a mixed picture of people's experiences accessing adult social care services, with inconsistencies that need to be addressed. While we found some pockets of good practice, the local authority needs to do more work to ensure people have consistently positive experiences of adult social care.
“Unpaid carers told us their assessments often felt tokenistic and ineffective. Some said they received little or no follow-up, and delays in support for the person they cared for worsened their own health and wellbeing. Others told us about the impact of caring on their physical and mental health and felt the local authority didn’t fully recognise or respond to the strain they were under.
“People also didn’t always have sufficient choice when finding care provision, particularly when they required nursing care or supported living for autistic people and people with a learning disability. This gap in care provision meant sometimes people remained living in placements for longer that weren’t always appropriate for their needs. This had started to improve, and people had been involved in shaping the services they would use in the future.
“However, we did find some positive developments, people told us about the positive impact social workers had made on their lives, with assessments that were strengths-based, meaning staff can focus on what mattered most to the person. We also saw good partnership working with health and housing providers, and the local authority's AI-driven falls prevention tool received consistently positive feedback from partners.
“Norfolk County Council had also taken active steps to understand the barriers and health inequalities people face. Staff worked alongside people from marginalised communities to overcome these challenges, and staff often tailored support to individuals’ needs. This work is ongoing and reflects a commitment to reducing inequalities across the system.
“Norfolk had made key changes to strengthen leadership and accountability, including appointing a new Director of Adult Social Services in October last year. We heard consistently positive feedback about the impact they’d made, including their approachability and visibility.
“Leaders understand what needs to change and have started building the right foundations to deliver better support. We look forward to returning to see how their plans mature and the impact this has on their community.”
"The report acknowledges we are already on our trajectory of improvement"
Councillor Alison Thomas, cabinet member for adult social services at Norfolk County Council, said: “I was surprised and very disappointed at the requires improvement rating, especially as the data and written narrative throughout the report is very positive. There appears to be an over reliance on anecdotal evidence but no real explanation as to what this is or why it should have such a bearing on the overall rating.
"I have every confidence that the Adult Social Care team transformation project will deliver positive improvements and achieve good outcomes for the people of Norfolk we’re here to help.
"The team have my unwavering support in the delivery of this ambitious programme of change.”
Ian Wake, Executive Director of Adult Social Services at Norfolk County Council, said: “The report acknowledges we are already on our trajectory of improvement for key areas such as assessment waiting times and reviews. We are investing in commissioning programmes including independent living for older people and supported housing for working age adults, to a level many areas of the UK are not.
“Our incredibly hard-working staff were highlighted for their commitment to the thousands of residents they support every day, and I would like to echo that.”