CQC assessment of Kent’s adult social care services

The report recognises the councils own continuous improvement efforts and achievements whilst also recognising the council’s ongoing improvement journey.

The overall rating for KCC is ‘Requires Improvement’ with a score of 56 (a ‘Good’ rating requires a score of 62). This rating reflects the journey the council has been on over recent years. We are confident that the work already underway, based on our own self-assessment and improvement plans to be the best we can be will support us to continue to deliver good quality support for people in our communities.

The assessment was undertaken by CQC assessors in October 2024 as part of their two-year programme of 153 assessments of all UK local authorities responsible for adult social care services. It covered nine quality statements across four themes with KCC receiving a score of ‘Good’ for the quality statements ‘Equity in Experience and Outcomes’ and ‘Learning, Improvement, and Innovation.

Inspectors spoke to people who draw on our services, family carers, providers, staff and other care professionals and checked council policies and processes before giving their final rating.

Making a difference every day

The findings of the CQC assessment aligned with KCC’s own self-assessment of its adult social care services and the CQC acknowledged the council’s improvement successes and ongoing plans in line with its “Making a Difference Every Day” adult social care strategy.

During the assessment, the inspectors spoke to people who draw on our services and feedback overall was positive. We understand that this may not be everyone’s experience and are continuously working with people who draw on care and support on ways to improve our services.

It was recognised that KCC continues to receive an increasingly high demand for adult social care services leading to prolonged waiting lists. The council has developed new Operational Delivery Plans setting out clear objectives to reduce waiting times and is monitoring progress against these weekly. Access to frontline operational teams has been made easier by removing ‘silo’ working and creating 23 community teams. Now our staff are situated directly in local communities, working across all areas of adult social care.

Like other local authorities nationally KCC experiences recruitment challenges for social care staff, causing gaps and some inconsistencies in frontline practices. Where additional pressures have been experienced, the council has responded by putting extra staff support in place and developing a plan to ensure an appropriately skilled and resourced workforce whilst continuing to work hard on attracting the right candidates.

The adult social care service has been increasing choice for people who draw on social care, around how they wish to be supported through the development of self-directed support including ability to self-refer via the Better Care Support tool and initiatives where people have input into how their services are developed. With a focus on the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act 2010) the council continuously works to reduce inequalities and improve experiences and outcomes for people more likely to have poor care.

The needs of unpaid (family & friends) carers are recognised as distinct from the people with support needs that they care for, and carers assessments, support plans and reviews for unpaid carers are undertaken individually and separately.

Some concerns were raised about accessible information for the range of commissioned preventative services on offer. Adult social care teams are working to address this so that all communities have full access to services that promote independence, and prevent, delay or reduce the need for care and support.

Working in partnership

It was recognised that the council is working well with partners across Kent’s 12 districts and boroughs, health, and voluntary and community sectors to better understand the needs of the community and develop the Integrated Care Strategy and prevention plan.

Some partners and providers were concerned about a lack of communication around joint priorities. The council is continuing to build on these relationships and are working jointly with providers, districts and boroughs, Integrated Care Board and other health partners on programmes such as housing, supporting people with mental ill health, hospital discharge and learning disability and neurodiversity.

The implementation of Integrated Transfer of Care Hubs across Kent has improved joint planning for hospital discharge. The Home First approach has supported people to leave hospital with the right ongoing support in place and return home, or to an appropriate placement, as soon, and as safely as possible.

Safeguarding

The council acknowledged that improvements were needed in relation to adult safeguarding and we have introduced safeguarding hubs to help manage the increase in referrals and waiting times. We continue to work collaboratively with our partners in the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board to improve safeguarding practice and processes.

Richard Smith, Kent County Council Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health said:

“Kent County Council’s journey from current challenges to a future where every adult in Kent lives a full and safe life is one of transformation, collaboration, and resilience. Since the publication of our adult social care strategy “Making a Difference Every Day” in 2022 we have been on a journey of service improvement to ensure our strategic objectives to ‘put the person first’, ‘improve all the time’ and ‘measure what matters’ are embedded into everyday practice.

“We are pleased that the findings of the CQC assessment align to that of our own self-assessment and that the work already undertaken to improve outcomes for people who draw on our services was acknowledged. We are confident that our ongoing improvement activity will have a positive impact for the residents we support, our workforce and our partners.

“We received a ‘Good’ rating in two areas and through our ongoing work we will ensure we are working towards being the best we can be. Although the overall rating isn’t what we would hope for, I am confident that we are aware of where improvements are needed, and work has already started.

“Kent, like all other local authorities, is under pressure due to an increasing demand for services and support, lack of funding to meet this demand and workforce shortages and across the adult social care sector. However, we remain committed to providing the best services and support possible to ensure the right outcomes for everyone.

“The CQC assessment demonstrates some mixed feedback from people who draw on care and support, partners and our workforce on inconsistency of practice. We have made great progress to date in addressing these inconsistencies across the county and are working hard to continuously improve our service, and we are aware that this needs further action. One of the ways we are addressing this is through the development of our strategic workforce plan. By investing in a sustainable, consistent and skilled workforce, the council can ensure that it continues to provide exceptional care and support to the residents of Kent, now and in the future.

“Other recent improvements include bringing the 18-25 Young People’s team into adult services where we can ensure our young people have a smooth transition from Children’s to Adults’ services and the ongoing exploration and implementation of technology to help improve lives. In just one year since its launch our award-winning Technology Enhanced Lives service has helped 4339 people lead independent lives in their own homes through the provision of technology such as sensors, monitors and alarms.

“I am proud of the improvements we have made and the commitment of all our dedicated staff who drive these forward every day. I am also grateful for the guidance from the CQC on areas for development for our future improvement plans. We will continue to have a sharp focus on our improvement journey, working tirelessly with colleagues and partners to ensure seamless services and outcomes for all those who draw on our services.”

The full CQC Assessment report can be viewed here