Watchdog Rates Surrey County Council’s Adult Social Care Services as “Good”

Adult social care services administered by Surrey County Council have been awarded a “good” rating by a regulatory body. An inspection report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), released on Wednesday, incorporated input from residents, carers, staff, and partners. The report highlighted negative feedback from some unpaid carers concerning assessments not being offered, their accuracy, or a lack of clarity regarding assessment outcomes. Sinead Mooney, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care, commented that the dedication of staff “shone through” in the report and extended her thanks for their hard work. The county council allocated 28% of its budget to adult social care in the 2022-23 financial year, according to the report. The authority’s expenditure on the service totaled £487m, with approximately 14,545 individuals receiving long-term support and 3,300 people accessing short-term support, as stated in the report. Ms Mooney described the report as a “fantastic result,” reflecting the council’s commitment to placing individuals at the core of its operations. She further added: “As we celebrate this achievement, we also recognise that there are areas where we need to learn and develop and we are actively working to address all feedback from the CQC through comprehensive improvement plans. Our new director of adult social services recently started with us, so we’re well-placed to build on this result to further raise the bar for our residents.” The report indicated that efforts had been made to enhance support for unpaid carers, but leaders acknowledged that further improvements were still required, a point corroborated by the feedback received by inspectors.