Reading borough council rejects adult social services watchdog report
Council say CQC report is out of date and doesn't reflect improvement already made
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Reading Borough Council as requires improvement, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.
CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their requires improvement 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.
Changes
Chris Badger, CQC’s Chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“When we visited Reading Borough Council we found a system under significant pressure, reflecting national patterns of increased demand for services, which was affecting the experiences of people who were relying on support. At the same time, the council was making changes, after proactively seeking expert help, and showing commitment to improving. For example, although safeguarding concerns were taking longer than the council’s target to resolve, recent data shows notable progress in this area. Importantly, the local authority had firmly embedded the “Making Safeguarding Personal” principles into its processes.
“Staff told us about ongoing recruitment challenges, with a mix of permanent and temporary staff in post. It was good to see that recent recruitment activity had reduced vacancy levels from 38% in April to 18% in December.
“While some people benefitted from prompt allocation and valued the independence and flexibility direct payments provided, some carers experienced delays in set-up or administration, limiting their ability to manage their own care effectively. Carers relying on these payments sometimes struggled to make timely decisions about care, which impacted the overall experience. However, where direct payments were successfully implemented, people experienced increased control over their care and improved quality of life.
“The authority worked with local charities through its Closing the Gap programme to tackle poverty, support communities, and promote wellbeing. It also focused on prevention by giving people and carers easy access to equipment, advice, and support. People said the assessments helped them plan ahead and valued the reablement services, though arranging follow-up care could be easier.
“These strengths provide a foundation on which the local authority can build, demonstrating the potential for improved timeliness, further coordination with NHS pathways, and enhanced support for people at risk.”
Protracted
However the council say the report is already out of date.
A spokesperson said:
"Whilst the overall rating aligns with the self-assessment the Council is required to carry out, the Council believes the scores do not reflect the many strengths identified by CQC during their assessment.
"The assessment process has been extremely protracted and onerous.
"The CQC has admitted making errors in the report after being challenged on its accuracy, and the whole process has also taken far longer than expected. With the results of the assessment only now being published many of the findings are no longer representative of the service."
Improvement
Cllr Paul Gittings, Lead Councillor for Adult Social Care, said:
“I remain incredibly proud of the care and support delivered by the Council’s Adult Social Care staff.
“I am pleased to see that the CQC has picked up our commitment to improvement and innovation alongside strong partnerships and co-production with our communities that will ensure we remain responsive and forward-thinking.
“Our service knows its strengths and areas for development very well and has been consistently delivering improvements for residents of Reading such as the delivery of an All-Age Carers Strategy 2024–2027 and our internationally recognised Technology Enabled Care offer.
“However, we believe the report does not accurately evidence the excellent work we do in Reading or provide an accurate description of improvements which have already been made.
“The people in our Adult Social Care service work extremely hard and take pride in the work in supporting the life that matters to our residents."