Hertfordshire County Council’s Adult Care Services were recently rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
As one of the first three local authorities to be formally assessed under new legislation, we’re keen to share what we’ve learned from the process.
First, it’s never too early to start planning – we’d been preparing for more than a year. This included incorporating feedback from an LGA peer review and gaining insight from the five CQC pilot assessments.
So, when we were notified, we felt well prepared – essential for the smooth running of the assessment process.
Having members involved from the beginning, in the development of the self-assessment and commenting on the final version before submission, was really useful.
I also had several briefings with Chris Badger, our Executive Director of Adult Care Services, and the officers supporting the assessment. I particularly wanted to understand the range of activity in different areas, such as addressing inequalities and our support for unpaid carers.
Being included throughout the process was important, to help us work together as a team, and there was an all-member briefing to keep all councillors informed.
Peer support from an experienced ex-director of adult care and a counterpart cabinet member in another authority gave me additional points to think about, including the political situation, how challenges are handled, and the relationships I have with officers and partners.
My interview with a CQC assessor was a relaxed conversation (the opposition spokesperson, chair of overview and scrutiny, and chair of the health and wellbeing board were also interviewed). The opening question – ‘tell me about Hertfordshire’ – allowed me to give a broad overview and add some key things I wanted to get across.
I was asked about how I influence political and budget decisions, how scrutiny works, my relationships with the director and officers in the service, how the organisation works with partners (including the NHS), our approach to inclusion and diversity, managing waiting lists, and what I was proud of. The importance of knowing our communities, understanding who are the ‘seldom heard’ groups, and how we act on their feedback, was a key theme throughout.
We then waited several (long!) weeks for a draft report, which officers could comment on before it was published on the CQC’s website.
Along with the leader of the council, I was front and centre of communications activity, planned before the final report was released. We wanted to showcase the breadth of services, recognise the officers’ dedication and share news of the outcome.
Our report is extremely positive across all themes, highlighting the passion and commitment of a highly skilled workforce, strong leadership, and productive relationships with partners and providers. We scored ‘good’ on eight of the nine themes, and on partnerships we were ‘exceptional’, which I am thrilled with, as it’s a real strength in Hertfordshire.
The full council meeting gave me a chance to share the outcomes of the report. I was questioned by members from my party and the opposition, who also congratulated officers on the outcome.
Assessment encourages appraisal of what’s working and areas for improvement: the report noted that our areas for improvement are already being addressed. We’ve recently discussed the resulting action plan at our adult care panel, which will be revisited by members to scrutinise and review progress.
- The LGA and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, as Partners in Care and Health (PCH), have published ‘Care Quality Commission assessments for adult social care: must know guide for councillors’.