East Riding council's adult social care provision rated 'inadequate'

AUTHORITY SAYS IT HAS 'ALREADY STARTED MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES' TO ENSURE PEOPLE GET 'TIMELY, HIGH-QUALITY CARE AND SUPPORT'

- By SOFIE JACKSON

ADULT social care provision by East Riding of Yorkshire Council has been rated as inadequate in a report released this week.

Assessors for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) scored how the local authority performed in nine different areas, with 'one' being the lowest score and 'four' being the highest.

It scored a 'one' in several areas, including safeguarding, care provision, integration and continuity of care, assessing people's needs, supporting people to live healthier lives, and governance, management and sustainability. A particular concern raised was the long waiting time for social care assessments.

Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “When we carried out our assessment of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, we found there had been significant leadership changes over the last few years, which had impacted on people's access to good adult social care across the county.

“While we saw some dedicated staff delivering person-centred care, too many people were facing unacceptable delays getting the support they needed, which was having a negative effect on their health. Our assessment team heard about people experiencing long waits for assessments, reviews, and equipment, including sensory support. For example, some people had waited two years for white cane training and 45 weeks for grab rails to be installed in their homes.

“During this time, some people with sensory needs deteriorated, and had increased falls which reduced their confidence, and affected their mental wellbeing. Staff told us that they were frustrated and found it challenging trying to find care homes to meet people's individual needs in the local area.