Council agrees new strategy to address shortcomings in service identified by CQC assessment earlier this year
Haringey Council has agreed a new adult social care improvement plan and carers’ strategy to address serious shortcomings in provision identified by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Photo by Rosie Sun / Unsplash
In February this year, the CQC awarded the council a relatively low 56 out of 100 in a comprehensive assessment of the ways it serves its residents. This is especially concerning given the urgent need for support in the borough: the CQC also reported that Haringey, ‘is one of the most deprived local authorities in England’ with a multiple deprivation score of nine out of a possible 10.
Not surprisingly, the CQC concluded overall that the council offer ‘requires improvement’.
In the months since that conclusion, the council has been working with partners to address its shortcomings. It has now agreed an adult social care improvement plan containing a range of measures such as ensuring that unpaid carers benefit from the resources, support and guidance they need to maintain a positive quality of life. In addition, a co-produced carers’ strategy has been agreed and will be launched later this month.
That is a direct response to the fact that most unpaid carers who responded to the CQC assessment gave negative feedback.
The new improvement plan has been developed by working with residents, families and staff. It sets out a three-year blueprint detailing the practical actions that will deliver the greatest impact on outcomes for residents, the quality of care and support they receive and financial sustainability. This includes improvements in waiting times, communications and how services respond to and learn from complaints.
Measures to strengthen leadership capacity and embed neighbourhood working also feature in the new plan. Efforts to improve provision will be overseen by a new, cross-party adults improvement board, chaired by the chief executive.
Cllr Lucia das Neves, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing at Haringey Council, says: ‘Adult Social Care helps people at some of the most challenging and complex moments in their life, which is why it is so important we get this right.
‘We welcome the CQC’s feedback because it provides us with the opportunity to reflect on and deliver the improvements needed. We know that action is needed, and this three-year plan is the next major step in our journey to transforming services for some of our most vulnerable residents.
‘The challenges we face are not straightforward. We are tackling a budget shortfall, an ageing population and ever-growing demand for our key services. Despite all the pressures, we are clear-eyed about what is needed and thoroughly committed to making it happen.’
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