Latest news with #JamesBullion
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Adult social care in Stoke-on-Trent is rated as good
A regulator has praised a city council for its commitment to "promoting people's independence" as part of its adult social care Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the Stoke-on-Trent City Council's adult social care service as "good" following a recent inspection.A report released on Friday highlighted staff's "passion" and leadership, but criticised the authority for delays in people accessing equipment or home City Council has been approached for a comment on the report. James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care, said the authority had improved services through "effective management and close work with partner organisations".He said staff demonstrated a passion for improving people's lives while leaders were focused on "making the authority a great place to live and work for all residents"."We saw a local authority committed to promoting people's independence to give them the best possible outcome," Mr Bullion added. 'Hard work' However, he said the authority needed better oversight of equality diversity and inclusion work and highlighted delays in some parts of the service and resource experienced some delays in receiving assessments, he added, as well as reviews for social care, occupational therapy and financial Bullion concluded by saying the report had positive findings that "reflect the hard work of staff" and the authority had plans in place to improve the issues identified. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Council 'requires improvement' says watchdog CQC
A council has been rated as "requires improvement" by health inspectors. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found North Somerset Council required improvement, in how well it was meeting its responsibilities to ensure people had access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014). The CQC had a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities worked with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. Roger Whitfield, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services at North Somerset Council said they accepted the report findings. More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset He said: "[We] had already implemented a significant number of improvements when the CQC did their assurance visit last December. "However, as acknowledged in the report, our changes were too early in their development to demonstrate a sustained improvement. "The CQC rate councils on a range of services and our score of 59% was just short of the 63% needed to be rated 'good'." CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their requires improvement rating. The regulator has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence showed significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard. North Somerset Council was given a two for assessing peoples' needs and a three for governance, management and sustainability, for example. James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said North Somerset Council had leaders who "understood the issues its community was facing." He added: "North Somerset Council have built a good foundation and must now focus on addressing these shortfalls. "We look forward to returning to see how their plans mature and the positive impact it has on residents." Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Temporary closure for maternity unit after warning Watchdog finds expired milk in maternity services Care Quality Commission North Somerset Council
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
North Somerset Council 'requires improvement', the CQC says
A council has been rated as "requires improvement" by health inspectors. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found North Somerset Council required improvement, in how well it was meeting its responsibilities to ensure people had access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).The CQC had a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities worked with their communities and partners to meet their Whitfield, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services at North Somerset Council said they accepted the report findings. He said: "[We] had already implemented a significant number of improvements when the CQC did their assurance visit last December. "However, as acknowledged in the report, our changes were too early in their development to demonstrate a sustained improvement."The CQC rate councils on a range of services and our score of 59% was just short of the 63% needed to be rated 'good'."CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their requires improvement rating. 'A good foundation' The regulator has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence showed significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional Somerset Council was given a two for assessing peoples' needs and a three for governance, management and sustainability, for example. James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said North Somerset Council had leaders who "understood the issues its community was facing."He added: "North Somerset Council have built a good foundation and must now focus on addressing these shortfalls. "We look forward to returning to see how their plans mature and the positive impact it has on residents."
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Kent County Council adult social care 'requires improvement'
Adult social care provision in Kent needs to improve, a watchdog has a report published on Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also said it found "stark contrasts" and "health inequalities" between inland and coastal communities in was a gap in life expectancy of up to eight years between some parts of the county, the body County Council has been approached for comment. The authority scored two out of four in seven of the nine categories it was judged in, and three out of four in the remaining Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said investigators met "enthusiastic and committed staff" but also found "stark contrasts between different areas".He added: "Health inequalities persist despite the authority's efforts to address them."While Kent's health outcomes are often better than the national average, this isn't true for coastal areas where communities face worse health outcomes, poorer quality housing, and seasonal employment."The six-to-eight-year gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas of Kent illustrates these inequalities."But he said the authority was doing "some good work" to reduce inequalities. The report found KCC did not manage transitions between services well, had an uneven distribution of care home places across the county and up to 600 people in hospital beds who could have been cared for commission praised the council's efforts to involve people who used services in decision making, and in using new technology, such as an online financial calculator for residents to work out their personal said there were "strong foundations" for the leadership of the council passed from the Conservatives to Reform in May's local elections.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council with 'above and beyond' adult social care
A council has been praised for its provision of adult social care by a watchdog who cited "many positive findings" during its inspection. Hartlepool Borough Council was rated "good" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in addressing their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support. Inspectors said they found "strong leaders" and an organisation that is committed to helping residents in the town lead healthier lives, but there were further steps to be taken to support those who don't speak English. The watchdog "recognised that poverty across Hartlepool is a big issue" and stated that Hartlepool council should be pleased with the findings of the report. The council was inspected in nine areas by the CQC. Inspectors looked at how well the authority worked with local people, how effectively it provided support, its leadership, and how it ensured safety in the system. The authority received an overall score of 70% from the CQC. A score of 88% would have moved the authority into the "outstanding" category for its provision of adult social care. The latest inspection found that 57% of carers in Hartlepool were satisfied with social services - significantly higher than the England average of 36%. Waiting times for Care Act assessments have reduced from 18 days in June 2024 to 13 days in the most recent report. The inspector also found there were "effective systems, processes and practices in place to safeguard people from abuse and neglect". But the report found some people felt that social care documents were long and difficult to read. It also stated that equipment is not always easily accessible to people with additional sensory needs. James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care, said: "Hartlepool Borough Council should be pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. "We look forward to returning to see how they have built on these areas of good practice and how their plans mature." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Council told to improve adult social care Crisis services keep 'good' rating in inspection Care home placed in special measures Hartlepool Borough Council Care Quality Commission
