Adult social care rated good by watchdog

Adult social care services at Surrey County Council have been given a "good" rating by a watchdog.

An inspection report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), published on Wednesday, looked at feedback from residents, carers, staff and partners.

The report said there was negative feedback from some unpaid carers regarding assessments not being offered, not being accurate, or not always being sure what the outcome of an assessment was.

Sinead Mooney, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, said the dedication of staff "shone through" in the report and thanked them for their hard work.

The county council spent 28% of its budget on adult social care in 2022-23, according to the report.

The authority spent £487m on the service, with about 14,545 people accessing long-term support, and 3,300 people accessing short-term support, the report said.

Ms Mooney said the report was a "fantastic result", reflecting the council's commitment to putting people at the heart of everything it does.

She added: "As we celebrate this achievement, we also recognise that there are areas where we need to learn and develop and we are actively working to address all feedback from the CQC through comprehensive improvement plans.

"Our new director of adult social services recently started with us, so we’re well-placed to build on this result to further raise the bar for our residents."

The report said work had been done to improve support for unpaid carers, but leaders recognised there was still more to do, and this was reflected in the feedback inspectors received.

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