Council bosses have welcomed a largely positive assessment of adult social care services in East Sussex.
Giving East Sussex County Council (ESCC) a rating of ‘good’, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted the collaboration with those using the service as a ‘real strength’.
Adults social care services are those provided for the elderly, vulnerable and those with learning difficulties or disabilities. In 2023/24 ESCC spent 31 per cent of its entire budget on these services, and was supporting 10,290 people with long term care, and 1,975 with short term support.
The feedback from residents was “mostly positive”, the CQC said, and when people were supported by the local authority, they felt listened to, their views were respected and that their care plan was person centred.
The CQC report, which was based on an inspection and feedback from residents and partners, found the workforce to be knowledgeable and passionate, supported by a strong leadership team, and recognised the efforts of staff to provide care and support that was person-centred through services that were easy to access.
Effective systems, processes and practices were in place to ensure people are protected from abuse and neglect, strengthened by the ethos that safeguarding was “everyone’s business’ which inspectors found to be embedded across the local authority.
But it wasn’t all good news. The CQC said there were delays for Care Act assessments and also there were mixed reviews about the effectiveness of carers reviews and the support people received throughout the assessment.
There were delays around hospital discharge within East Sussex due to the capacity of discharge to assess beds and this was causing longer stays for people in hospital putting pressure on people, the local authority and partners. The council was working with partners to address this issue.
Across most of the criteria of the assessment of services, the council was rated 3 or “good”. However, it scored 2 or “requires improvement” for how it assesses needs, and for care provision, integration and continuity. Overall ESCC scored 67 out of 100 with 62 being the score required to be “good”.
Cllr Carl Maynard, lead member for adult social care and health, said: “This ‘good’ rating is testament to the efforts of our staff in ensuring that residents have access to the best possible support and care.
“I am extremely proud that we are continuing to deliver high quality services and keep the most vulnerable members of our communities safe despite growing demand for services, increasingly complex needs, and mounting financial pressures.
“But we will not rest on our laurels. Despite the positive report, inspectors highlighted areas for further development, and we will work hard to make those improvements.”
The CQC said the council had clear plans in place to improve local people’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities in East Sussex. It also had good knowledge of current and future challenges, as well as a commitment to improve services and work in partnership to support this.
Cllr Maynard added: “We continuously look at ways to improve, innovate and learn to ensure we continue to offer the best and most appropriate services to our residents. Assessments like this are a great way to better understand the experiences of those using our services, hear the views of organisations we work with, and get an independent opinion on our successes and areas for improvement.”
The full report can be viewed at East Sussex County Council: https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/eastsussex-1025