Our legal duties and the Secretary of State’s objective and priorities for this work.
From April 2023, our responsibilities include looking at how well local authorities are meeting their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act (2014).
These assessments use a subset of quality statements from our new single assessment framework. They are structured specifically around the context, aims and roles of a local authority and focus on 4 themes:
- How local authorities work with people
- How local authorities provide support
- How local authorities ensure safety within the system
- Leadership
Secretary of State's objective and priorities
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022), the Secretary of State can set objectives and priorities for our assessments of local authorities and integrated care systems. These can sometimes be revised when needed.
Secretary of State's objective:
The objective of the assessment framework is for CQC to assess how well local authorities are delivering their Care Act duties for people accessing care and support.
Secretary of State’s priorities:
- Access to care for those who need it, including people who are discharged from hospital.
- Personalisation of care to meet the needs of individual people and their carers.
- Commissioning services to support good outcomes from care.
- Supporting a vibrant and sustainable local care system.
- Support and development for the social care workforce.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has approved this final guidance on our assessments, as required by the Health and Care Act 2022.