The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Hartlepool Borough Council as good, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).
CQC has a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities work with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. This includes promoting the wellbeing and independence of working age disabled adults, older people, and their unpaid carers to reduce their need for formal support where appropriate. Where support is needed it should provide people with choice and control of how their care needs are met.
CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their good rating. CQC has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence shows significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard.
- Assessing people’s needs – 3
- Supporting people to lead healthier lives – 3
- Equity in experience and outcomes – 2
- Care provision, integration and continuity of care - 2
- Partnership and communities – 3
- Safe pathways, systems and transitions - 3
- Safeguarding - 3
- Governance, management and sustainability - 3
- Learning, improvement and innovation - 3
James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“At our assessment of Hartlepool Borough Council’s adult social care services, we found an organisation which had strong leaders, who were committed to making improvements so that people across Hartlepool are supported to lead healthier lives and reduce the need for formal support where possible.
“Staff at the authority were passionate about serving local people and had a good understanding of how to meet their needs. It was also great to hear that they had earned national recognition as the best performing local authority for two years running in the Local Government Association Employers Standards Health Check survey. Examples included them going above and beyond to support people by delivering Christmas dinners and caring for a dog while the owner was in hospital.
“Hartlepool have a close working relationship with partners in healthcare services. This focus on collaboration was having a positive impact on people’s lives. For example, they had introduced a handyperson scheme which was making a real difference to older and disabled people. The scheme provided support such as carrying out small household repairs, things which may seem small but could sometimes be the difference between someone being able to remain living at home or having to go into formal care.
“It was also recognised that poverty across Hartlepool is a big issue as it one of the more deprived boroughs in England. Staff were aware of support to help people and families who were struggling, such as giving them information on food banks and details of where they could access free meals. This was making a real difference to people.
“However, the local authority has acknowledged it needs to understand its diverse communities more so it can offer the relevant support to people. It also needs to improve its website's accessibility for people with disabilities and develop better communication channels for people who don’t speak English, as well as those with sensory impairments so it’s easier for them to access information.
“Hartlepool Borough Council should be pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. We look forward to returning to see how they have built on these areas of good practice and how their plans mature.”
The assessment team also found:
- Unpaid carers were positive about their experience of accessing support, including time away from their caring role, and spoke highly of services supporting them.
- 57.76% of carers in Hartlepool were satisfied with social services, which was significantly better than the England average of 36.83%.
- People could access equipment and have minor adaptations to their homes to maintain their independence.
- Direct payments were being used to improve people’s control about how their care and support needs were met.
- Staff had the skills to support young people to prepare for adulthood.
- There were effective systems, processes and practices in place to safeguard people from abuse and neglect.
- Assessment and care planning was person centred and included what people wanted to achieve and how they wished to live their lives
- Waiting times for Care Act assessments had reduced, and people were waiting around 13 days, this was previously 18 days.
- A community led solutions approach had been developed with partners, which included community hubs and a single point of access so people could access the right care in the right place.
However:
- Some people felt that social care documents were long and difficult to read.
- Financial assessments were not always timely.
- Equipment wasn’t always easily accessible to people with additional sensory needs.
The assessment will be published on CQC’s website on Wednesday 14 May.