Thurrock Council’s Adult Social Care is performing well according to the Care Quality Commission.
The Annual Performance Assessment (APA) has rated Adult Social Care as performing “well” and it has improved in three outcomes against a harder test.
Last year’s service inspection described the senior management team as determined, driven and enthusiastic in transforming services to promote independence, flexibility and choice for people using adult social care.
Cllr Amanda Arnold, Thurrock Council Cabinet member for Adult Social Care said: “This recognition highlights the fundamental shift Thurrock has made in putting the individual at the heart of the service, and the benefits this has on the quality of life for the boroughs most vulnerable residents.
“The team has worked tirelessly to make these changes happen and I know they will continue to strive for excellence right across the spectrum of Adult Social Care services.”
The service inspection report also said staff are “clear about the changes being made to improve services” and new services being developed “are helping people to remain independent, and improve their quality of life”.
It also found the council’s vision for social care in Thurrock was clear among its partner organisations across the borough, stating: “This work to promote independence and to change services is supported by Thurrock’s aim to ‘increase independence, choice and control for social care users.”
The only area where Thurrock was rated “adequate” was in “Maintaining Dignity and Respect”. This outcome measures safeguarding for adults. The service inspection found Thurrock provides good personalised services for older people, adequate arrangements for safeguarding and had promising prospects for improvement. This rating affected the overall CQC APA for 08/09.
CQC says that it has not only raised the bar on standards but the APA rating for “maintaining dignity” can be no higher than the service inspection rating for safeguarding that year.
The council has been working to improve all areas identified, including safeguarding arrangements and, at the post-inspection review in September 2009, the CQC reported it was making good progress with the implementation of the inspection action plan and that improvement had taken place.
The council demonstrated an increased focus on providing services that have a positive impact on the people who use them, one highlight being the council’s arrangements for the personalisation of services for older people.
YourThurrock spoke to Corporate Director, Lorna Payne about the report and assessed the way forward for the department.
