Council told to improve adult social care services

A council has to improve the way it delivers adult social care and support, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC rated Somerset Council as "requires improvement" in how well they meet their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult care under the Care Act. One of the things they found was that staff did not investigate safeguarding concerns and failed to offer advocacy.

Chris Badger, from the CQC, said: "In one example, a person living with dementia had been permanently moved into a care home. There was nobody involved to advocate on their behalf about whether this was what they wanted."

The council said it was "disappointed" with the findings.

Badger said some of the issues stem from the council's transition to a unitary authority in 2023.

The report found that the authority received a high volume of referrals at 5,298 per month, which meant the service could not respond to risk at the earliest stage.

The report also found that the authority was not handling complaints effectively, with 85.71% upheld by the Ombudsman, well above the 74.41% national average.

"However, there were also positive examples of innovation," Badger added.

"There was good provision of micro providers supporting people in rural areas and good use of direct payments.

"This approach helped reach people who might not otherwise engage with services and supported a more accessible and preventative 'no wrong door' model of access and support within communities."

Councillor Sarah Wakefield, Somerset Council's lead member for adults services, housing and homelessness said the council is "disappointed by the findings".

"We want to reassure the people who use our services, their families and carers that our focus remains on ensuring people receive safe, high-quality support," Wakefield added.

"Despite the overall rating, we are encouraged that the report recognises areas of good practice and the dedication of our workforce.

"We are fully committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement and are building on the progress we have already made since our assessment in September."

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