Hillingdon Council's adult social care services rated one of the best nationally and in London
Friday 13 December, 2024: Hillingdon Council is celebrating after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) adult social care inspection report rated it one of the best performing councils nationally and in London.
Visiting between 22 July and 24 July they praised the council for working closely with partners across the borough and having a clear focus to "achieve the best outcomes for people who lived there."
"Providers told us the partnership approach the local authority took with them resulted in improved outcomes for individuals," the report said.
It also highlighted the council's work with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to support wellbeing, including job clubs and support for people with a mental health condition.
"Preventative services provided by the local authority and partners had a positive impact on wellbeing outcomes for people who might have care and support needs," the report added.
The council's senior leadership team are "visible, engaged and compassionate", and staff are "very proud to work there and felt valued and supported."
Inspectors recognised the council's focus on addressing the root causes of care needs and promoting independence and wellbeing among residents, particularly older adults.
The council is "committed to early intervention and prevention" and there is a focus on reducing, delaying, and preventing needs for long-term care and support, which is "effective."
On safeguarding, there are "effective systems, processes, practices" in place to ensure residents are protected.
Most people have positive experiences of hospital discharge. "We found it was timely, safe, and effective," the report said. "Interventions such as reablement and short-term packages of care, resulted in a significantly better than average proportion of people being able to remain independent for longer when they returned home."
Local carers described the carers' support service, commissioned by the council, as "gold standard." Carers surveyed in Hillingdon can access support or services which allow them to take a break from caring at short notice or in an emergency, and this is almost twice the England average.
The council has a "robust" commissioning team which actively engage with providers to ensure a range of high quality, diverse provisions are available to meet the community's needs.
Most people can access the council's care and support services easily, while Care Act assessments consider the needs and preferences of the person requiring care and support, and any carer supporting them, reflecting their rights to choice.
The report said: "Most people we spoke with who had care needs had a choice and were satisfied with the care and support they received."
It also praises the council's engagement with the local community - people are listened to, and their ideas shape services.
An area identified for improvement was having consistent data on the council's performance over the past 12 months. This has already been acknowledged as a development need and a new approach to data, while still being implemented, is addressing this point.
James Bullion, the CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: "At this assessment, we found the London Borough of Hillingdon were supporting people to access responsive and person-centred care, from timely assessments to effective reablement services. The local authority has shown a clear commitment to helping people live well and lead healthier and more independent lives.
"Overall, Hillingdon should be proud of this assessment. They have created a strong foundation for progress, and we look forward to seeing how their plans develop."
Cllr Jane Palmer, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said: "I'm delighted with this report and the CQC's 'good' rating which reflects the commitment and dedication of our fantastic staff, leadership team and partners working to improve outcomes for residents in our borough.
"Despite the increasing demand for adult social care, we continue to deliver joined-up services to meet the health, care and support needs of our residents."
