Report: The State Of Adult Social Care Services 2014 to 2017 – CQC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have presented the latest findings from their inspection programme of adult social care.

‘The State Of Adult Social Care Services 2014 to 2017‘ is the first time such focused analysis on a national scale has been possible, following the introduction of a new regulatory regime for adult social care in October 2014.

Since then, CQC have carried out more than 33,000 inspections of around 24,000 different services. These include residential homes, nursing homes, care in people’s own homes, Shared Lives schemes and supported living services. These are vital services for thousands of people, young and old, who may be living with a physical disability, learning disability, autism, dementia and/or mental health conditions.

This report finds that while the majority of adult social services are of a high quality and many are improving, too many people across England are receiving care in care homes and from home-care services that is not good enough.

Without a proper recognition of the importance of adult social care and a renewed commitment to quality, the numbers of people affected by poor care could increase and have a profound impact on their lives.

Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the Care Quality Commission, said: “Last October, CQC gave a stark warning that adult social care was approaching a tipping point. This was driven by more people with increasingly complex conditions needing care but in a challenging economic climate, facing greater difficulties in accessing the care they need.

“While this report focuses on our assessment of quality and not on the wider context, with the deterioration we are seeing in services rated as Good together with the struggle to improve for those with Inadequate and Requires Improvement ratings, the danger of adult social care approaching its tipping point has not disappeared. If it tips, it will mean even more poor care, less choice and more unmet need for people.

“Quality must be at the heart of the long term reform of social care in England. CQC will continue to keep its relentless focus on quality with regulation becoming more targeted, risk-based and intelligence-driven over the next few years. But we cannot do it alone. Everyone must play their part in making sure quality matters and that adult social care services provide care that we would all be happy to use.”

Download the report: http://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/evaluation/state-adult-social-care-services-2014-2017