'Significant areas for improvement' for social care in Edinburgh
An inspector found staff were "working hard to deliver services but under considerable pressure and sometimes overwhelmed."
A report from the care inspectorate has found adult social work and social care in Edinburgh has "significant areas for improvement".
The inspection has found what it calls structural weaknesses in the planning and delivery of services in the health, social work and social care system.
The report details that there are areas of service gaps which in turn have resulted in too many people and carers not receiving services at the right time or place.
It concludes Staff vacancies, turnover and absences impacted on staff’s capacity to undertake their roles and responsibilities as fully and to the quality they desired.
Kevin Mitchell, Care Inspectorate Executive Director of Scrutiny and Assurance, said: “Inspectors found significant areas for improvement in adult social work and social care services in the City of Edinburgh. Prioritised actions will be required to ensure the needs of people and carers are met, and their wellbeing improved, more consistently.
"The Care Inspectorate will discuss with the partnership the scale and nature of the improvements required and how the partnership intends to make the necessary improvements.”
Councillor Tim Pogson, Chair of Edinburgh Integration Joint Board said: “I fully acknowledge the findings of the report, as well as the improvements we need to make for those in our care.
“Whilst the review highlights many of the challenges we’re already facing into, it was good to see our front-line staff highlighted as an area of strength. Their hard work continues to deliver vital services, often in difficult circumstances, and I want to put on record my thanks to them for their ongoing commitment and support.
“Our workforce deficit remain one of our biggest challenges, as does the need to address our partnership structures and governance, and we’ve long highlighted the need for urgent investment into our shared systems and processes. This is, of course, against a backdrop of ever-increasing financial pressures and without further support from our partners, including the Scottish Government, this will inevitably result in yet more difficult decisions. We desperately need further investment and I’ll make this point to the Minister when I meet him in the coming weeks.
“That said, we remain absolutely committed to driving forward the changes we need to make and work is already underway. This includes the recent appointment of a Principal Social Work Officer and the introduction of a strategic Inspection Oversight Group. This group will oversee and approve inspection improvement plans, ensuring actions are focussed on outcomes to deliver a better service to those receiving our care, their carers, our colleagues and our partners.
“We’ll continue to report back on progress against these plans in the coming weeks and months.”