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Document Title |
Adult Social Care Improvement Plan |
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Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) |
Steve Hook, Director of Adult Social Care (DASS) |
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Programme Manager |
Edd Yeo, Homes & ASC Business Improvement Manager |
1. Executive Summary & Recommendations
In response to the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on Adult Social Care in Brighton & Hove, we have established this programme to enhance outcomes for residents requiring care and support. The Improvement Plan is designed to fulfil statutory obligations arising from the regulatory judgement and to set targets for additional areas of improvement as detailed in the accompanying document.
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Strategic Vision for Adult Social Care in Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove will be a city where every adult needing care receives the right support to live safely and with dignity, either independently or with specialist help. We will work with staff, leaders, and residents to design services that address inequalities, strengthen communities, and use innovation and technology to provide high-quality, person-centred care. |
The Adult Social Care Improvement Plan will be separated into phases;
- Phase 1 – to deliver on high priority actions identified by CQC on Assessing Needs theme.
- Phase 2 – to deliver improvement actions on areas identified by CQC in the other themes, with targets to move scores from 2 (Requires Improvement) to 3 (Good).
- Phase 3 – to deliver improvement actions on areas identified by CQC as score of 3 (Good).
2. Background/context
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Framework
A new regulatory framework for Local Authorities with responsibilities for Adult Social Care was announced in 2022, first pilot inspections were completed by early 2024. Brighton & Hove was notified of the Inspection Process starting in November 2024, with onsite inspection completed in April 2025.
A report has been completed by CQC and has given the overall rating for Brighton & Hove City Council as ‘Requires Improvement’, with a score breakdown below
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Score |
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Assessing Needs |
1 |
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Supporting people to live healthier lives |
2 |
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Equity in experience and outcomes |
2 |
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Care provision, integration and continuity |
2 |
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Partnerships and communities |
2 |
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Safe pathways, systems and transitions |
2 |
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Safeguarding |
2 |
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Governance, management and sustainability |
2 |
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Learning, improvement and innovation |
2 |
Section 50 notice
Current Performance and benchmarking
Community Support:
71.76% of adults in receipt of long-term services are supported in the community, in line with benchmarking medians and just below the local target (72%).
Safeguarding Outcomes:
84.78% of adults able to express desired outcomes fully or partially achieved them, well above the benchmarking median (65.59%) and within the top quartile nationally.
Permanent Admissions:
Older Adults (65+): Admissions to nursing/residential care are at 618.31 per 100,000, better than the benchmarking median (672.8) and below the local target (660).
Younger Adults (18–64): Admissions are at 23.81 per 100,000, above both the target (18.40) and benchmarking median (16.75), ranking lowest among comparator authorities.
Annual Reviews:
40.33% of long-term clients were reviewed within the year, below the target (45%) and benchmarking median (52.5%). This area is a key focus for improvement.
Future Inspections/Engagement with CQC
The CQC is currently consulting on the future of the Inspection Framework, they are unlikely to inspect Local Authorities in the same way that they have at the introduction of the framework. They are exploring options such as an annual meeting with each Local Authority, shorter more focussed inspections and a new model of inspection. We will continue to monitor this. We have recently seen a document demonstrating the difference between scores (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement & Inadequate) and how we can use that to inform the areas of improvement.
3. Learning Framework
Brighton and Hove City Council is transforming to be a Learning Organisation, as a council, we want to:
Adult Social Care Improvement Plan will;
· be connected – we are working closely with support from external stakeholders (e.g. Department for Health & Social Care, Local Government Association, Benchmark authorities) and Internal Stakeholder with experience of regulation (Children’s Social Care and Housing Regulation). This will ensure we identify best practice examples and can build from shared experiences.
· be confident – the areas identified by regulation for Adult Social Care and national benchmarking have given a clear indication of improvement areas, and we know that improvement in those areas will lead to improved outcomes for residents and results in future regulation.
· be innovative and creative – we have identified opportunities to introduce new ways of working and new technology to support delivery of key actions. E.g. use of digital tools to support case work and speed up processes around reviews and contact whilst individuals wait for a service.
· be diverse and inclusive – we are pleased that we have a diverse workforce that reflects the diversity of Brighton & Hove. We monitor the diversity of our workforce as part of a national programme, and have an established infrastructure to ensure we continue to hear from minority groups in the city.
· be healthy and psychologically safe – we have recognised that our staff played an important part in the CQC Inspection and will continue to monitor responses by Adult Social Care staff in Staff Surveys and engagement opportunities.
4. Objectives
Waiting Times
· CQC Report “People often experienced extended delays to having their needs met. Recent changes had not yet led to sustained improvement in waiting times and demand was increasing.”
· As of November 2025 the median wait time from request received until completed across all worklists was 32 days. The median time from request allocated to a worker and completion was 6 days (see OMT Waiting Lists chart in Data section for a breakdown of Service Areas and Worklists).
Waiting Well
· CQC Report “People gave us examples of waiting for significant periods of time without any contact from the local authority.”
· CQC Report “Performance relating to the local authority’s ‘waiting well’ processes were not fully visible to senior leadership, which meant there was limited oversight of this risk.”
· As of November 2025, there were 447 people awaiting allocation across all Care Assessment worklists (see OMT Waiting Lists chart in Data section for a breakdown of Service Areas and Worklists). Although this marks an overall improvement compared to November 2024 a year ago, there has been a growing trend in recent months, with figures climbing from the low point of 309 reached in February 25.
Annual Reviews
· CQC Report “People faced delays to having their needs reviewed. There was a backlog in reviews which was increasing. Plans to address this had not yet been fully implemented but had started to reduce review waiting lists.”
· Our current performance is 40.26% of long-term clients were reviewed within the year, below the target (45%) and benchmarking median (52.5%).
· For 26/27 we have set a target to get to 55% which is above the median score for comparator authorities for 25/26.
Residential Admissions
· For those in receipt of a service, 14% of younger adults were in residential care settings during 2023/24 - this is above the England (12%%) and regional (13%) averages. For older adults (65+), 22% were placed in nursing care, significantly above the England average (13%) and above the regional average (19%)
· Our current performance is:
· Older Adults (65+): Admissions to nursing/residential care are at 618.31 per 100,000, better than the benchmarking median (672.8) and below the local target (660).
· Younger Adults (18–64): Admissions are at 23.81 per 100,000, above both the target (18.40) and benchmarking median (16.75), ranking lowest among comparator authorities.
· 2026/27 Targets will be set as part of service planning
Reablement
· CQC Report “National data showed people were significantly less able to access reablement compared to national averages but the effectiveness of reablement interventions were consistent with outcomes nationally.”
· Latest ASCOF Data (April 2024 – March 2025):
· Outcomes: Of those receiving reablement, 74.2% remained in the community 12 weeks after discharge—above the regional average (65.5%) and the third highest in the region.
· 26/27 targets have been set through budget setting process with an identified target of £888k. The saving will be delivered through an earlier intervention, with more independence and reduced care & support needs.
Prevention
· Prevention is a strategic priority for Adult Social Care, with a focus on diverting individuals from entering the Care Act pathway by offering robust non-statutory support at the front door.
· The current position includes leveraging the Ageing Well contract and third sector partnerships to provide alternatives to formal care, with plans to better align these resources with Access Point processes.
· Previous preventative funding has been reduced, but opportunities exist to repurpose existing budgets, particularly through collaboration with Public Health and commissioning colleagues.
· The future direction involves developing a more visible and integrated prevention offer, including potential use of predictive analytics to identify at-risk individuals earlier, and exploring innovative models such as direct referral pathways and spend-to-save initiatives.
· The plan is to phase this work, starting with immediate improvements to front door diversion and longer-term engagement with wider council services to broaden the scope of prevention.
5. Risks
· Capacity within Operational Teams – Brighton & Hove City Council is currently facing a really tough financial situation and has tightened spending controls including management of vacancies and recruitment. For Adult Social Care operational teams this has had an impact on management of waiting lists including reviews across all teams. Reduced capacity in services has reduced the opportunities for allocation of cases meaning that individuals will need to wait longer for an allocated social worker and assessment
· Increasing Complexity of Need – Overall number of service users with a Care & Support Plan in Brighton & Hove has been relatively stable for the last few years. However, we have seen a 3.2% increase since April 25 from 3754 to 3880 service users in November 25. Additionally, we are seeing a continued increase in the complexity of those cases matching the increasing needs within the city e.g. rising mental health needs, increased substance misuse and risk of homelessness.
· Shortage of Experienced practitioners – linked to both risks above, we are experiencing a shortage of experienced practitioners that are able to respond to complex case work in annual reviews and assessments. As we see complexity of cases increase we need a workforce that can respond to the increased needs of individuals, particularly in specialist services.
6. Roles & Responsibilities
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Summary of Roles |
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Role |
Description |
Key responsibilities |
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Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) Sponsor – Genette Laws |
Strategic oversight and responsibility. Member of CLT, to maintain Council Oversight of Programme. |
Ensures programme is aligned to organisation’s strategic direction. Leads engagement with Councillors |
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Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) – Steve Hook |
Accountable for the success of Adult Social Care Improvement Plan |
Provides leadership and direction in partnership with Sponsor |
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Business Improvement manager – Edd Yeo |
Responsible for leading and managing Adult Social Care Improvement Plan from set up to closure |
Plans and designs the programme Co-ordinates workstreams and their dependencies Point of contact to CQC |
7. Governance
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Summary of Roles |
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Board/Meeting |
Description |
Regularity of Updates |
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Cabinet & Informal Cabinet |
Chaired by Leader of Council. Making significant decisions on how the Council is run, proposing budget and overall policy framework. Adult Social Care Improvement Plan will report to Cabinet to maintain oversight of progress against the key objectives. |
Quarterly |
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Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) |
Chaired by Chief Executive. Working closely with Leader of Council, Cabinet leads and Councillors to set the organisations strategic direction. Adult Social Care Improvement Plan will report bi-monthly to CLT, as preparation for Cabinet and for opportunities for cross-Council working. |
Bi-monthly |
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Directorate Leadership Team |
Chaired by Corporate Director. Weekly meeting to ensure that services within a directorate are successfully delivered |
Bi-monthly in line with CLT & Cabinet |
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Performance & Improvement Board |
Chaired by Director of Adult Social Services. Monthly progress reports tracking specific planned actions that support both directorate objectives and outcomes in individual service plans |
Monthly |
Service Plans 26/27 – Reporting & Monitoring
All 26/27 Service Plan(s) will include actions for Tier 4 Managers to deliver improved performance, contributing to Adult Social Care Improvement Plan. The service plans will include targets for the key outcomes; all monitored through Performance & Improvement Board on a monthly basis.
8. Data
Brighton & Hove City Council were notified of CQC Inspection Process starting in November 2024, with later notice for the on-site Inspection starting in April 2025 and then the finalised report being released November/December 2025. Areas for improvement have been listed below with a short narrative to describe that journey through those milestones.
Data used for benchmarking is sourced from the CIPFA Nearest Neighbour Model and the most recent Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) results. These sources will be re-examined as new national statutory return publications become available.
Reviews –% of those in receipt of a long-term service over a year, reviewed within the year.
The data indicates that 40.26% of long-term clients received reviews within the year, which falls short of both the target (45%) and the median benchmark (52.5%). However, recent trends since June 2025 show an upward improvement.
Service Users
The total number of service users with a Care & Support Plan in Brighton & Hove has remained relatively stable in recent years. However, there has been a 3.6% rise since Nov 24.
Waiting Lists and Times by Team and Work Lists
As of November 2025, the median wait time from request receipt to completion across all worklists was 32 days. The median duration from allocation of a request to a worker through to completion was 6 days (refer to the OMT Waiting Lists chart in the Data section for detailed breakdowns by Service Areas and Worklists). In the same month, 447 individuals remained awaiting allocation across all Care Assessment worklists. While this represents an improvement over November 2024, recent months have shown an upward trend, with the number rising from a low of 309 in February 2025.
Reablement Data – ASCOF 2D – the % of people aged 65+ discharged from hospital into reablement who remained in the community within 12 weeks of discharge
Access: 2.9% of people aged 65+ discharged from hospital received local authority-managed reablement, below the SEADASS regional average of 5.7%.
Outcomes: Of those receiving reablement, 74.2% remained in the community 12 weeks after discharge—above the regional average (65.5%) and the third highest in the region.
Residential Admissions
Older Adults (65+) - there are 618.31 admissions to nursing or residential care per 100,000 people. This rate is lower than both the benchmarking median of 672.8 and the local target of 660.
Younger Adults (18–64): The admission rate is 23.81 per 100,000, which exceeds both the target of 18.40 and the benchmarking median of 16.75, placing this group at the lowest ranking among comparator authorities
