Adult social care report is fair, says council

An inspection report on adult social care provided by Worcestershire County Council has graded the service as 'good' - although bosses have been urged to do more to help vulnerable people living in rural areas.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has praised the authority for assessing people "in good time", and for helping elderly residents "live as autonomously as possible".

But the inspection also added the county's "limited transport infrastructure" poses challenges for householders in rural areas, and said "frequent frontline staff changes" has had an impact.

Mark Fitton, the director for adult social care, said: "It's a fair report, we're delighted with the overall rating of 'good'."

The verdict comes after the council faced criticism from families, after it decided that two respite centres for disabled adults will close this June due to rising costs.

More than £1 of every £4 spent by the council goes on adult social care - a figure that is expected to rise further given Worcestershire's demographics.

The CQC rating means Worcestershire is now deemed to be performing better than most similar authorities.

Fitton added: "In my eyes this is a strong 'good', but we won't rest on our laurels.

"We accept there are areas where we need to make improvements, and we'll have plans in place to make those improvements."

He also said the authority was still considering expanding its 'on demand' bus service, in light of the CQC report, which said the lack of transport options was impacting some people who want to access social care.

The report said very few adults ended up in care placements outside of Worcestershire, despite the strong rural make-up of much of the county.

Staff were also praised for their hard work, with the inspectors saying most people felt listened to and that vulnerable adults were given genuine care choices.

"Overall it's excellent news for the council and for our staff. [The CQC has] recognised the hard work our staff put in, in order to make adult social care a good experience in Worcestershire," Fitton added.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.