Issue - items at meetings - Care Quality Commission inspection

Report from the Acting Director of Adult Social Care.

36.1    Philip Letchfield, Interim Head of Contracts & Performance, presented a report on the most recent Care Quality Commission's assessment of Brighton and Hove City Council and on the improvement plan that had been agreed. Mr Letchfield then answered members' questions.

Mr Letchfield informed the committee that the future role of the Care Quality Commission in assessing the Council’s social care performance had been thrown into doubt by recent central government announcements; the current performance assessment framework was being discontinued with immediate effect. The Chair of ASCHOSC commented that this would leave more of a role for scrutiny, in assessing and challenging the department's performance.

36.2    Members queried how the items agreed in the improvement plan could be carried out in light of the proposed spending review. Mr Letchfield said that he was fairly confident that most of the planned improvements could be met within the current service redesign; there was no additional burden. There were some challenges, particularly on the commissioning side and the wider context was tough. Meeting the improvement plan would be reliant on a number of milestones being met at the right time, eg in personalisation and self-directed care.

36.3    Members asked about the role for advocacy services. They were advised that Adult Social Care was reviewing all of its advocacy services, as it was not evenly provided across different service areas at present.

36.4    Mr Letchfield was thanked for his report and asked to return to ASCHOSC in six months to update the committee on progress.