Support is available to help councils with a new assurance system
On 1 April, a new system of adult social care assurance went live.
Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a new duty to independently review and assess councils’ delivery of their adult social care duties.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has new legal powers for statutory intervention in cases where a council is judged to be failing, or has failed, to discharge its duties.
The CQC is piloting its assessment approach with up to five volunteer local authorities between April and September, with formal assessments expected to start from September.
Partners in Care and Health (PCH) – a partnership between the LGA and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) – is providing a programme of improvement and support to help councils with the roll-out of the assurance process.
PCH helps councils to improve the way they deliver adult social care and public health services, and helps government understand the challenges faced by the sector. The programme is a trusted network for developing and sharing best practice, developing tools and techniques, providing support and building connections.
One of the things we have developed that councils might find helpful in preparing for assurance is a list of ‘top tips’ – based (with thanks to them) on the Northern ADASS Regions’ top tips, published in 2022.
“Lead members should be engaged in shaping the council’s adult social care narrative that will be put forward”
These have been refined with additional input from directors of adult social care and reflect the focus of activity that PCH believes will help all councils to maximise their preparation in the coming months.
For example, you may find it helpful to talk to colleagues working in children’s social services, who are already familiar with ‘one-word judgements’ under Ofsted’s inspection framework.
The role of elected members in assurance is important, as is the role of democratic leadership in maximising the opportunities of assurance and mitigating its risks.
Your officers should be discussing with councillors the central themes of the Care Act 2014 that the CQC assessment process is designed to test out, including the overall spirit of the Act and its specific statutory requirements.
Cabinet members should be getting regular briefings on CQC expectations, how the council’s performance will be measured in key areas, and the significant risks arising from any adverse judgements.
Lead members should be engaged in shaping the council’s adult social care narrative that will be put forward during an assessment.
Making the most of your adult social care activity, engagement and performance data is another top tip.
Service user and carer surveys, statutory data returns, the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) data, comparisons with statistical neighbours and regional benchmarks (see www.lginform.local.gov.uk/) can all help inform your preparations and support your council’s evolving narrative.
CQC will have interrogated six to 12 months of your data before they arrive on site, so, where your performance shows room for improvement, try to be open about this, show that you have analysed why and how you need to improve, and have a clear plan for doing this.
There are challenges and opportunities in creating a new assurance regime, but the aim should be to drive continuous improvement in adult social care, so that people who draw on care and support are best able to live the lives they want to lead.
- ‘Top tips for CQC assurance preparation’ is available on our website, where you can also find out more about Partners in Care and Health. The LGA is running a free webinar on ‘Adult social care assurance: the return of regulation and the role of elected members’ on 6 June.