Adult social care in Somerset needs improvement, says Care Quality Commission
The watchdog found vulnerable people faced delays accessing support, but welcomed some innovative community-based schemes.
Somerset Council's adult social care services have been rated "Requires Improvement" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Inspectors found delays in assessments and reviews, concerns around safeguarding procedures, and a significant backlog in Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications. In one case, a person living with dementia waited nearly seven years for a DoLS assessment to be completed.
The CQC said the council was still dealing with challenges following its transition to a unitary authority in 2023, with ongoing structural changes affecting people's experiences of accessing care and support.
Inspectors also highlighted concerns that some safeguarding issues were not always investigated thoroughly and that carers often felt their own needs were overlooked.
However, the report identified positive work in several areas, including the use of local community leaders to help people access support and increased spending on preventative services, which helped reduce hospital admissions by 35%.
CQC Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, Chris Badger, said council leaders recognised where improvements were needed and were working to address the issues.
The full assessment is on the on the CQC website.
We've invited Somerset Council to comment.