Birmingham City Council care rating improves

Birmingham City Council’s adult social care has been judged to be performing “well’ seven years after being labelled as the worst in the country.

The Care Quality Commission said it had performed “well” in six out of seven areas and was “excellent” at making positive contributions to lives.

Its improvement was put down to strong leadership and more personalised care.

The quality of residential care it purchased was still lower than the national average though, a report said.

‘Not complacent’

The Care Quality Commission report grades social care as poor, adequate, well and excellent for a variety of areas, including economic well being, improved quality of life and personal dignity.

Councillor Sue Anderson, cabinet member for adults and communities, said: “I’m really pleased with this assessment and it is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved.

“However, we will not be complacent. This is another step on a continual road of improvement and I’m particularly pleased to see the importance of our transformation programme recognised.”

The council remains under no single political party control after the elections in May.

The council leader Mike Whitby is Conservative and the deputy leader Paul Tilsley is a Liberal Democrat.