Issue details

The Health and Care Act 2022 endowed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with new powers to evaluate how Local Authorities fulfil their responsibilities under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The CQC Local Authority Assessment Framework reviews the performance of Local Authorities to ensure that both the CQC and the Department of Health and Social Care are satisfied with the quality of care in the area and to identify any necessary improvements. From April 2024 to September 2024, B&NES underwent its CQC Local Authority Assessment, and the CQC published their report for B&NES on 30th January 2025, assigning a rating of Requires Improvement.

The Adult Social Care Improvement Plan highlights the progress already made and outlines the steps being taken to further enhance our services. It reflects our self-assessment of priority areas for improvement, alongside the key findings and areas for improvement against quality statement scores from the CQC Local Authority Assessment Report for B&NES. The nine priorities in the ASC Improvement Plan align national expectations with local needs, driving forward a shared vision for a more responsive, effective, and sustainable Adult Social Care service that delivers better outcomes for the B&NES population who rely on adult social care support.

This report will outline the progress made towards the ASC Improvement Plan, alongside the key activities that the ASC Leadership Team is undertaking to enable sustainable improvement.