The provision of adult social care in County Durham has been rated as 'good' following a recent assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The report praises council staff for how well they meet their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.
CQC’s rating 'Good' states that "The service is performing well and meeting our expectations."
The report also highlighted the council’s positive partnership arrangements:
The local authority worked collaboratively with partners to agree and align strategic priorities, plans, and responsibilities for people in the area. Partners worked positively together, with many long-standing relationships, with a good understanding of the health and care needs of the area.
As part of the process, the CQC assessed Durham County Council in nine different areas across four themes including leadership, support, safety and its work with people.
The assessment team found that over 85 per cent of CQC regulated provision in the county was rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' and that 95 per cent of equipment aimed at supporting people's independence, such as bathing aids, were delivered on time, sometimes on the same day.
Cllr Chris Hood, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for adult and health services, said: “We are pleased with the outcome of the CQC assessment. The ‘good’ rating reflects the hard work of all our staff and the efforts they go to in order to provide the best possible care for our residents.
“The report also recognises the work that is ongoing to rise to staffing challenges, for example through the creation of the Care Academy, as well as our close links with our partner organisations to make it easier for people to access the care they need.
“We do understand that there are some areas for improvements which the team will continue to work on. We would like to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to address these areas and that we are always striving to offer the best care and support to our communities.”
Pictured above members of Durham County Council’s adult heath services team.
The full report can be viewed on the CQC website.