Assessment framework for local authority assurance

Page last updated: 25 March 2024

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Equity in experiences and outcomes

Quality statement

We actively seek out and listen to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. We tailor the care, support and treatment in response to this.

  • I have care and support that enables me to live as I want to, seeing me as a unique person with skills, strengths and goals

Summary

This quality statement covers:

  • Understanding and addressing barriers to care and support
  • Understanding and addressing inequalities in experience and outcomes
  • Ensuring care and support meets the diverse needs of communities
  • Ensuring people are encouraged to give feedback, which is acted on and used to drive improvements
  • Meeting legal requirements relating to equality and human rights. This includes:
    • avoiding discrimination
    • having regard to the needs of people with different protected equality characteristics
    • making reasonable adjustments to support equity in experience and outcomes.

Related sections of the Care Act

Care Act 2014:

  • Section 1: Wellbeing principle

Required evidence categories

People’s experience

  • Direct feedback from:
    • people with care and support needs
    • unpaid carers
    • people who fund or arrange their own care, those close to them and their advocates
  • Feedback from people obtained by community and voluntary groups. For example:
    • advocacy groups
    • adult and young person’s carers groups
    • faith groups
    • groups representing people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
    • people with protected equality characteristics
  • Feedback that people have sent to the local authority and feedback it has gathered itself through surveys or focus groups
  • Feedback from CQC's Give feedback on care facility (if available)
  • Compliments and complaints
  • Healthwatch
  • Case tracking

Feedback from staff and leaders

  • Council adult social care portfolio holder
  • Principal social worker
  • Principal occupational therapist
  • Commissioners
  • Assessment and care management staff, social workers including any specialist teams
  • Director of adult social services
  • Director of public health
  • The local authority’s self-assessment of its performance for the quality statement

If available, feedback from the local authority's:

Processes

  • Arrangements for identifying people at risk of having unmet needs or poor outcomes because of their protected equality characteristics
  • Arrangements for reducing inequalities of experience and outcomes relating to Care Act duties. These include:
    • strategies
    • action plans
    • equality impact assessments
    • evidence of impact and outcomes
  • Equality objectives and delivery plans - annual reporting for the Public Sector Equality Duty, if available
  • Inclusion and accessibility arrangements, for example British Sign Language or interpreter services

Feedback from partners

  • Community and voluntary sector groups, including those representing:
    • people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
    • people with protected equality characteristics
    • unpaid carers
  • Local advocacy providers
  • Local care providers
  • Local health partners and allied health professionals
  • Health and Wellbeing Board

If available

  • Local Government Social Care Ombudsman feedback

Outcomes

We will not look at evidence under this category.

Best practice and guidance