An action plan to tackle the Isle of Wight’s adult social care crisis is underway, after the Isle of Wight Council was told its service ‘requires improvement’.
Laura Gaudion, director of adult social care and housing needs, updated councillors at the end of June after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection scored County Hall’s adult social care at 62%, with 63% required for an overall ‘good’ rating.
She said the drafting of the action plan is ‘well underway’ – based on the CQC’s recommendations as well as the gaps and development opportunities in services which the watchdog highlighted.
The CQC report praised the Island’s safeguarding arrangements, finding a ‘good standard’ of safe systems, pathways and transitions, and highlighting an effective multi-agency Safeguarding Adults Board.
But across 3 of its 4 main themes – assessing needs, supporting people to lead healthier lives, and equity in experience and outcomes – County Hall was rated two out of four, showing ‘some shortfalls’.
Ms Gaudion told the adult social care, public health and housing needs committee:
“We’re well underway in terms of drafting our action plan. The action plan is based on the recommendations from the CQC and the gaps and development opportunities in our services that they highlighted.
Article continues below this advertisement “It’s my intention that that will come to this committee for a formal adoption at your next meeting and we will circulate the action plan ahead of that meeting to all committee members so you have the opportunity to review it and ask any questions in advance but also to help us shape that action plan.
“I am committed to being open and transparent in terms of our response to the CQC report. The CQC will come back and it’s important to me that I can demonstrate that progress is being made.”
She added that some of the actions identified in the plan will have updates for the committee in terms of how they have been progressed so far.
Like most services on the island – 3RD CLASS!
Yee-haw
As a family, we have had years of non support from Adult Social Services when we should have had help. In fact, not only no help or support when in crisis, but ASC building strong brick walls just in case there were needed and blocking every attempt to get assistance.
They put our family member into a more vulnerable situation.
Absolute disgrace.
Some context is required here. Virtually every council in the country spends around 85% of its total budget on children’s services and social care for vulnerable adults. The Island population is disproportionately older than the norm which adds an additional demand on the latter service. Since the decimation of the Rate Support Grant from central government during the 14 years of Conservative government, nearly all local authority funding must be raised locally, principally through the Council Tax and Business Rates. It therefore follows that the increased cost of providing services would require a higher tax take from those two sources. I do not suggest that people should expect poor services but simply seek to make clear that the likely trade off will be higher Council Tax bills.