Introduction to Adult Social Care
The delivery of Adult Social Care is the responsibility of the Local Authority which interacts with a range of other local authority functions to support people in our communities, including Housing, Public Health, Children’s Services or Culture and Leisure to name but a few. Our work is also closely connected to health organisations and the voluntary and third sector who work with many of the same people who come into contact with Adult Social Care.
Although Adult Social Care has a distinct identity, so much of what we do is achieved through working with others. Our success is increasingly intertwined with our health partners. New partnerships ‘Integrated Care Systems’ (ICS) are bringing together; Acute, Community Health Trusts, GPs, Primary Care services with Local Authorities and other care providers. These aim to bring organisations together to redesign, improve support and outcomes for residents.
Adult Social Care in Coventry is one of several health and care organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire, making up the Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Partnership. This Partnership is working to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents. In all our efforts to achieve this we share a common vision:
"We will do everything in our power to enable people across Coventry and Warwickshire to pursue happy, healthy lives and put people at the heart of everything we do".
In working to this vision, we believe that all our residents deserve to:
1. Lead a healthy, independent, and fulfilled life
2. Be part of a strong community
3. Experience effective and sustainable health and care services
As part of this Partnership, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board is now responsible for commissioning health and care services on behalf of people in Coventry and Warwickshire (this replaces Clinical Commissioning Groups).
From an Adult Social Care perspective, we do not have a complex strategy but at every level, we intend to provide support to the residents of Coventry, in the least intrusive manner possible, based on the assets, resources and abilities available to them. Our focus is on the promotion of independence, and this continues to be the at the heart of the way we work and provide support. Progressing this overarching objective is delivered day in, day out through the many interactions between our staff and people with care and support needs and through a series of developments and future planning overseen by the Director of Adult Services aimed at constantly improving what we do.
In 2023 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) became responsible for assessing Local Authorities’ delivery of their Adult Social Care functions producing a framework to assess how well Local Authorities are performing against their duties under the Care Act 2014.
The assessment framework for Local Authorities comprises 9 quality statements mapped across 4 overall themes. The 4 themes are;
- Working with people
- Providing support
- Ensuring safety
- Leadership
For each theme, CQC identify the: The ‘I’ statements and quality statements that they will assess:
Quality statements are the commitments that local authorities must commit to. Expressed as ‘we statements’, they show what is needed to deliver high-quality, person-centred care I statements are what people expect. They are based on Think Local Act Personal’s ‘Making It Real’ framework.As part of these arrangements Local Authorities are completing a ‘Self-Assessment’. This is a detailed report identifying how we are delivering Adult Social Care services in Coventry, our strengths and areas for development. Our Annual Report this year mirrors the content of this assessment highlighting some of the work we are doing through examples of the support we provide.