Wakefield Council's adult social care services given requires improvement rating

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said the authority came “very close” to being rated as good following an inspection.

Inspectors praised staff and leaders for “working hard to help people” but identified a number of shortfalls in provision.

The report highlighted strengths across the district’s services, including strong leadership, a dedicated and skilled workforce, and effective partnership working with health, housing and the voluntary sector.

But the watchdog said the council needed to do more to put care in place sooner for people about to leave hospital, adding: “A shortage of nursing home placements in the area contributed to this.”

James Bullion, chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care at the CQC, said: “We found a local authority that was working hard to help people access adult social care support, though we identified some areas for improvement.

“Wakefield came very close to achieving a good rating, which was partly due to its strong focus on working with local communities and partners and its commitment to consistently innovate and improve services.”

Michelle Collins, the council’s cabinet member for adults and health, said: “This report is another step in our improvement journey.

“We’re proud of the strengths that have been recognised but we know we’re not there yet.

“We came within the smallest of margins of a good rating. It’s within our sights.

“But our ambition is to go further, to deliver the very best for the people we support across Wakefield.

“With new, permanent leadership in place and a clear vision for change, we’re confident we can build on what’s working and tackle the areas that need improvement.”

The CQC has a new duty, introduced under the Care Act in 2023, to assess how local authorities work with communities and partners.

The report said council leaders “provided strong support to staff, especially during a recent period of change” and “worked hard to create a culture where staff felt comfortable raising concerns.”

The document said there was also a “positive culture of learning and improvement.”

It added: “Occupational therapists took pride in the work they did to help people live at home independently for as long as possible.

“Leaders established close links with partners, including health and voluntary services, to ensure people received tailored and consistent support.”

Criticism included comments that council data indicated that members of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities “might not be accessing the support they needed.”

The report said: “Leaders could make better use of data to help plan services based on evidence of need.”

Mr Bullion said: “Wakefield worked alongside people with lived experience to develop and shape services, making sure these met their needs while driving improvements.

“This enabled them to innovate with new ways of working and initiatives designed to improve people’s experiences.

“However, people struggled to access direct payments.

“They also found it challenging to navigate and complete financial assessments online, which limited access for those without good digital skills.

“Some people experienced delays in their financial assessment, which meant they paid for a service they weren’t prepared for.

“Overall, leaders and staff at Wakefield should be pleased with the many positive findings in our report.

“We have told them where improvements are needed and we look forward to seeing their progress.”

The council said work was already underway to improve access to services for “under-served communities”, to streamline financial assessments and to increase the uptake of direct payments.

Other planned improvements included work to expand the availability of short-term placements and strengthening out-of-hours support.