Working with providers
During the last 12 months Coventry’s (Care homes and Community based Adult Social Care services) Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings have not changed significantly. There has been a small reduction in both ‘Inadequate’ and ‘Good’ rated providers and slight increase in both ‘Requires Improvement’ and ‘Outstanding’ rated provision. The number of new providers registered in Coventry continues to grow, evidence of the growing appetite to develop the care market in the city.
The Joint Health and Social Care Quality Assurance Team worked with operational colleagues to ensure the safety of individuals in receipt of support, including where provision was rated as ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’.
March 2023 - CQC rating for the Coventry care market
- Outstanding: 5 (3.4%)
- Good: 103 (70.1%)
- Requires improvement: 35 (23.8%)
- Inadequate: 4 (2.3%)
Whilst figures for Coventry are slightly below national averages, these fare well in comparison to neighbouring authorities within the West Midlands Combined Authority, with higher than average number of ‘Outstanding’ rated providers and lower than average number of ‘Requires Improvement’ rated provision.
To ensure continuous improvement in this area, a new Quality Assurance Framework (detailing our approach to quality assurance, support and escalation measures) has been implemented in 2023 to drive quality forward across all provision.
Care home improvement
The Joint Quality Assurance Team works to ensure care providers are delivering safe, high-quality care to individuals, with a continued focus on supporting commissioned providers with poor CQC ratings or quality concerns. In the last twelve months, all 70 contracted residential care and nursing homes received an annual quality assurance visit, with further assurance sought where any risks were identified. We also continued to support and quality monitor over 80 contracted community providers (for example, home support and supported living providers) to ensure the safety and quality of care delivery. The quality team have also strengthened links with GP practices to improve the support offer to homes and communication across the health and social care system for providers.
Through 2022/23 we saw homes re-opening in full and welcoming families back with an increase in activities and events. A number of quality improvement campaigns were also developed and trialled, including the ‘Mouth Care Matters’ (aiming to improve oral health in care homes) piloted successfully in 4 care homes and the refreshed ‘Say No to Infection’ campaign prepared (a training and accreditation package dedicated to the prevention and control of infection), both of which will be rolled out wider through 2023/24.