CQC Rates Isles of Scilly Adult Social Care as Good

The Council of the Isles of Scilly has been rated good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for its adult social care provision under the Care Act 2014.

CQC assessed how well the council supports people with care needs, working with its communities and partners to promote wellbeing and independence. The inspection found strong leadership, a caring workforce, and well-coordinated systems, but also highlighted gaps in consistency and equity across the islands.

Nine Areas of Assessment

CQC reviewed nine areas across four themes, with each scored out of four (one being significant shortfalls, four showing an exceptional standard).

• How the local authority works with people

  • Assessing people’s needs: 3

  • Supporting people to lead healthier lives: 3

  • Equity in experience and outcomes: 2

• Providing support

  • Care provision, integration and continuity of care: 3

  • Partnership and communities: 3

• Ensuring safety in the system

  • Safe pathways, systems and transitions: 3

  • Safeguarding: 3

• Leadership

  • Governance, management and sustainability: 2

  • Learning, improvement and innovation: 3

A Committed and Caring Workforce

James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, praised the findings:

“At our assessment of the Council of the Isles of Scilly’s adult social care services, we found a committed and caring workforce delivering support that improved people’s lives. People told us they consistently valued the person-centred care they received, while strong partnerships across the islands ensured systems were safe, well-coordinated, and responsive.

“The authority’s safeguarding was robust, with no delays for deprivation of liberty safeguards decisions. We also saw no waiting lists for assessments, reviews and access to care services.

“Staff supported people to transition from children to adult care and support services through structured pathways starting around age 14. These included joint visits with partner organisations, tailored planning, and specific processes for young people with special educational needs or changing circumstances. Drug and alcohol services also supported adolescents moving into adulthood.

“Partners described challenges in hospital discharge and delivering ‘home-first’ care, made more difficult by geography and public transport. Despite this, there was a clear shift towards home-based intermediate care, supported by digital tools, virtual wards, and plans for a dedicated reablement gym on the mainland. This proactive care to help support people to lead healthier lives through reablement and intermediate care, was having a positive impact.

“The authority offered direct payments to support people to have choice and independence. People described the benefits this brought such as funding live-in carers to help them remain at home or personal assistants to meet their individual needs. However, advice and guidance on managing these payments, including contracts, payroll, and administration was inconsistent. Most unpaid carers were unaware of direct payments or didn’t receive them. Staff routinely offered direct payments, but partners and carers highlighted the need for clearer, more proactive support to help people feel empowered in managing their care.

“The authority knows its communities well and engages them through events, drop-ins, and targeted outreach. Staff support diverse groups and address risks like fuel poverty and social isolation, using hardship funds to reach seldom-heard people. Strong community ties help identify emerging needs, but there were gaps in analysing inequalities, collaborating with public health, and ensuring equitable access to specialist services, especially on smaller islands.

“The Council of the Isles of Scilly has strong leadership, committed staff, and effective partnerships. The next step is ensuring that all communities receive consistent, equitable support, building on the positive practice already in place.”

Key Findings

The assessment team also noted:

• Staff and partners worked flexibly, supervising each other and coordinating care through multi-disciplinary teams using the Better Care Fund.

• Engagement included drop-in sessions, leaflets, social media, and recording of everyday support through contact assessments.

• Financial assessments were carried out annually, or sooner if needed, with health and education services explored for funding.

• Continuing health care assessments were provided for those with high-support needs or at end of life.

• Timely equipment and home adaptations were delivered, though complex cases were sometimes delayed due to geography.

• Staff responded quickly to emerging needs, collaborating with residents and professionals through safeguarding partnerships and community events.

The Isles of Scilly Context

• The Isles of Scilly local authority covers five islands 28 miles off the South West coast of England, nearest to Cornwall. The population is 2,229, with most residents on St Mary’s and smaller populations on Tresco, St Martins, Bryher and St Agnes.

• The council ranks 136 out of 153 local authorities on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

• It has the highest proportion nationally of people aged 65 and over (27.14%, compared to the national average of 18.69%).

• The council is a unitary authority with 16 independent elected members.

• Its 2023/24 budget was £6.4m, with an actual spend of £9.7m.

Download the full report here.