CQC Rates Cornwall Council Adult Social Care as Good

When the Care Quality Commission turned up at Cornwall Council last year to assess how the local authority looks after adults in its care, the verdict could have gone several ways. It has now landed.

A good rating across the board

The CQC has rated Cornwall adult social care services as good following its recent inspection. The visit took place under the regulator’s new responsibility to assess how local authorities meet their duties under part 1 of the Care Act (2014).

Inspectors recognised that services provide a good standard of care, with strong leadership and system-wide partnership working flagged in the findings.

Lived experience shaping the service

One area singled out for praise was how people who use the services are helping to shape how care is designed and delivered. The report points to the council’s work with Citizen Checkers, who use the 7 keys to citizenship model to make sure care services give people the support to live a full life.

What the cabinet lead said

Cornwall Council Cabinet Lead for Adult Social Care and Health Partnerships Jim McKenna said: “I’m very pleased with this rating, which recognises the hard work of staff, voluntary organisations and people with lived experience who have all contributed to the many improvements that have been made in our journey to make sure people in Cornwall receive a good standard of care.”

Jim added: “It feels really special, and fitting that CQC recognised the work that people with lived experience have done to support our services here in Cornwall, recognising the very valuable contribution Citizen Checkers have made when checking the quality of care and support services in Cornwall, and also the wonderful work of those who are part of our Co-production board, who meet regularly to be part of our service design.”

“We will continue to build on the strengths that have been recognised, as well as working on those areas where we need to improve; all the officers involved and myself will carry on in their hard work to continue to improve the standard of care people receive in Cornwall.”

What happens next

The services are working to a continuous improvement plan that sets out what must improve, where the most significant risks sit, and how leaders will gain assurance that improvement is being achieved. The Adult Social Care Transformation Programme and service delivery plans describe how those improvements will be delivered and embedded in practice and business-as-usual.

The plan is designed to show how Cornwall has listened to and acted on inspection findings, how learning is translated into sustained changes in practice and systems, and how leaders can evidence progress through collaborative working with partners, governance, and assurance aligned to CQC expectations, statutory duties and council priorities.

The full report is published on the CQC’s website.