The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated the London Borough of Barnet as good, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.
CQC has a new responsibility to assess how local authorities meet their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act (2014).
CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their good rating. CQC has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence shows significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard.
- Assessing people’s needs – 2
- Supporting people to lead healthier lives – 2
- Equity in experience and outcomes – 2
- Care provision, integration and continuity of care - 3
- Partnership and communities – 3
- Safe pathways, systems and transitions - 2
- Safeguarding - 3
- Governance, management and sustainability - 3
- Learning, improvement and innovation - 3
James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“At this assessment, we found the London Borough of Barnet had a real commitment to supporting people to access responsive and person-centred care. It was impressive to see the impact their strong focus on prevention and reablement services was having on supporting people to regain lost independence and avoid long-term care wherever possible.
“National data supported our view, showing 92.96% of people aged 65 and over remained at home 91 days after discharge from hospital thanks to the authority’s highly effective discharge and reablement services. This significantly exceeds the England average of 83.70%. Staff also worked closely with health professionals to avoid people being over-prescribed medications on discharge, ensuring people receive personalised support and equipment instead if appropriate.
“People told us that adult social care practitioners were helpful, supportive, and approachable. Their support was arranged promptly and often led to positive outcomes, helping them maintain independence and improve their wellbeing.
“We also recognised Barnet’s efforts to improve the uptake of direct payments, to empower people to have greater choice and control over their care.
“However, some people had to wait for long periods for an assessment and even longer for care reviews. While Barnet used a strength-based approach considering people’s wishes and goals, the delays were recognised as a challenge, especially with increased demand post COVID-19. Additional resources were allocated to reduce waiting lists, and early progress had been made, but more time is needed to fully address the issue.
“Overall, Barnet should be proud of this assessment. They have created a strong foundation for progressing their future plans, and we look forward to seeing how these develop."
The assessment team found:
- The local authority reduced occupational therapy assessment waiting times by almost 50% between January and June 2024 through additional recruitment, including hiring a specialist learning disability occupational therapist.
- People could access equipment and minor home adaptations to maintain their independence and continue living in their own homes.
- Barnet had strong partnerships with five other local authorities, that earned national recognition, including the Local Government Chronicle Adult Social Care Award in 2021, for delivering improved outcomes for people through shared initiatives.
- Barnet’s people's voice group had grown to over 300 people with lived experience of adult social care services. A member of the committee was positive about representation from people on the local authority scrutiny sub-committee, they said sharing people’s feedback had provided an added level of challenge and perspective to discussions.
- The local authority developed additional opportunities and roles for people linked to the involvement board, for example two people with lived experience of social care who were recruited as full members of the health and care overview and scrutiny sub-committee.
- Leaders in Barnet were described as visible, compassionate, and committed to fostering a positive workplace culture. Their approach prioritised staff development through regular training opportunities and mentorship, resulting in high staff retention rates. This consistency of staff had a positive impact on their service and people’s outcomes.
- The workplace culture was constructive, inclusive, and supportive, with the principles of equality, human rights, and diversity deeply ingrained in the values, culture, and leadership of the local authority.
However, the assessment team also found:
- Some unpaid carers were unaware of their right to a separate carer’s assessment, and others reported that these were not offered during the assessment of the person they cared for. However, those carers that had accessed them, found the assessments helpful and received practical support, including funding for household items or leisure centre access.
- There were gaps in accommodation-based services for people requiring specialist support, including those living with dementia, mental health conditions, and autistic people. The local authority has plans to address these gaps by increasing capacity and, through partnership with housing, improving the quality of specialist housing for people.
The assessment will be published on CQC’s website on Friday 10 January.