CQC publishes first assessment of adult social care in West Northamptonshire

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published its first-ever assessment of how West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) delivers services for adults, as part of a new national programme assessing all local authorities in England.

WNC has received an overall rating of “Requires Improvement: Evidence shows some shortfalls” with a score of 59%, placing the council just 4% below “Good”. Three areas were rated Good: safeguarding (75%), partnerships and communities (69%), and learning improvement and innovation (63%). The remaining six areas were rated Requires Improvement and scored 57%, only six percentage points below the “Good” threshold.

The assessment is an independent baseline for improvement and reflects both the significant progress made since WNC formed as a unitary Council in 2021 and the challenges that remain nationally.

The report highlights a number of strengths across adult social care in West Northamptonshire, including:

• strong and effective safeguarding systems, supported by clear triage processes, partnership working and assurance structures
• positive experiences for people receiving assessments, with care delivered in a person centred, strengths-based way
• good practice around equality, ensuring people feel respected, heard, and included in decisions about their care
• strong relationships with health and voluntary sector organisations, supporting safe hospital discharge and prevention work
• innovation and investment in areas such as reablement, digital technology and falls prevention

The assessment identifies areas for improvement, with several that are related to wider national pressures:

• delays in annual reviews and inconsistent carers’ assessments
• gaps in rural access, autism support and culturally responsive care
• workforce pressures and challenges within mental health pathways
• delays in NHS Continuing Health Care (CHC) processes and equipment provision

As part of its continued commitment to improving services, WNC is already acting on these findings, with many developments recognised by the CQC in its report.

The council in the process of delivering an improvement plan which focuses on:

• making it easier for people to contact the service and improving accessibility of information
• reducing waiting times and improving the timeliness of reviews
• strengthening support for carers, ensuring all carers are offered assessments
• ensuring advocacy is offered quickly and clearly
• improving prevention, reablement and therapy services
• enhancing equality, inclusion and cultural competence
• strengthening autism and mental health pathways

“We are very close to achieving a ‘Good’ rating, and we will continue working together to ensure the improvements underway translate into the outcomes our residents expect and deserve.

“I want to thank our staff and partners for their continued hard work. Their commitment to quality care and to putting people first is evident throughout this assessment.”Cllr Laura Couse, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council

“This assessment provides a clear and honest picture of where we are on our improvement journey. I am encouraged that the CQC has recognised many strengths across our services, including our strong safeguarding arrangements, our dedicated workforce, and our commitment to innovation and partnership working.

“While the report highlights areas for improvement, we are already acting on these. Our focus now is to build on the solid foundations developed since becoming a unitary council and to deliver the improvements for our communities.”Melanie Williams, Executive Director for People at West Northamptonshire Council

The council will continue to work closely with the CQC and partners across health and social care as it delivers its improvement plan, which will be published on the council’s website and shared with stakeholders, staff and residents.

The full CQC report will be available on the CQC website from publication.