North East Lincolnshire Council has welcomed a report into its Adult Social Care services, saying there are many positives – and where improvements are required, work to tackle the issues is already underway.
A Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, which assesses how a local authority works with communities and partners to meet adult care responsibilities, was held in North East Lincolnshire earlier this year.
The report, released today, rates the authority area as ‘requires improvement’. In three of nine key areas analysed, Adult Social Care is of a ‘good’ standard with others showing ‘some shortfalls’.
Responding, Cllr Stan Shreeve, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care explained that the council was now determined to move forward – encouraged by report data that showed the council was only a small margin from being rated good overall.
He said: “We are grateful to the Care Quality Commission for its detailed appraisal of where North East Lincolnshire Council and its partners are in our journey to improve and transform the services that adults across the borough can access.
“We are working hard against a backdrop of significant challenge and that too was recognised. Two Grimsby housing areas – the East and West Marsh – fall within the most deprived 1% nationally with healthy life expectancy just 55 years old for males and 58 for females. These statistics give rise to increasing numbers of adults, some with complex needs, needing support.
“However, our unique Adult Social Care integrated arrangements here in North East Lincolnshire, means we are in the very best position to work with our partners to meet these challenges. As the report recognises, some areas for improvement that were highlighted are being tackled and we are confident they can be overcome.”
Cllr Shreeve added: “Meanwhile there are many positives, and we were pleased that the report highlights many of these – notably our united single point of access for those needing support, our efforts to reduce hospital stays, our communication with residents, carers and staff, and our ability to look for innovative solutions to what are often complex issues.
“This council’s recent commitment to becoming a Marmot Place also reflects the borough’s ambition to work with partners to reduce health inequalities and improve the wellbeing of all residents and future generations – which will have a positive impact on all of our adults.
“This report is an opportunity for us to work more closely with our partners to really develop those areas that we know need attention, and this is something we are already well on with planning for.”
North East Lincolnshire Council’s partners, which are commissioned to run services, are three Community Interest Companies (CiCs): Navigo (mental health), Care Plus Group (community services), and Focus Independent Adult Social Work (Care Act duties).
Recognising the work that is progressing, Chris Badger, the CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“At this inspection, we found North East Lincolnshire Council needed to make improvements in how it’s providing people with access to adult social care and support for people living in the area. While we saw strong partnership working and genuine commitment to person-centred care, the local authority does have further work to do to ensure people are consistently receiving the support they need.
“The hospital discharge process was described by partner organisations as gold standard. It was well-coordinated and timely, with 94.8% of people being able to return home after they were discharged. This reduced their stress and improved their recovery.
“Also, it was positive to hear that transitions between services were generally well-managed. Young people and their families had positive experiences when moving from children to adult services.
“However, unpaid carers told us that there were delays in receiving assessments and reviews, and there were limited respite options available for them. Some carers also felt they weren’t involved in decisions made about their loved one’s care, particularly around safeguarding and hospital discharge.
“Additionally, improvements were needed around direct payments. We were told that the process was confusing and time-consuming, with some carers waiting for up to 18 months to receive them. This meant they weren’t getting the support they needed in a timely way to carry out their caring role.
“North East Lincolnshire Council has clear plans to address the issues identified, including improving direct payments processes. We’ll continue to monitor progress and look forward to seeing how their future plans mature.”
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