Testing our approach to local authority assessments

Published: 15 August 2023 Page last updated: 15 August 2023

We previously confirmed the 5 local authorities where we are piloting our new local authority assessments

These are: 

  • Birmingham City Council 
  • Lincolnshire County Council 
  • North Lincolnshire Council 
  • Nottingham City Council 
  • Suffolk County Council 

We began the assessment process by sending a request for information to each local authority taking part in the pilots. The information request collects the documentary evidence and information that we need. This will enable us to understand how a local authority is delivering its adult social care functions. It also identifies any additional evidence that we might need to complete an assessment. We also asked the 5 local authorities in the pilots to send us their self-assessment if they had completed one. 

The information request is integral to the assessment process and informs our fieldwork activity during the pilots. It is important that we test the process for the information return during these pilot assessments. This is to check that we’re asking for the right information and taking a proportionate approach.  

We are also testing how we: 

  • use feedback from providers, people receiving social care services and other stakeholders 
  • can effectively involve Experts by Experience in our assessments. 

For each local authority in the pilot, we will provide a report and indicative scores for all the quality statements. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has also requested that we provide an overall indicative rating. We will publish our findings on our website. 

We’re constantly evaluating our approach throughout the pilots. We will incorporate any learning into our formal assessments which will start later this year, rather than in September as previously planned.  

We are currently developing how we will select the first local authorities to be assessed and will publish more information on this before the start of formal assessments. 

Our approach to formal assessments may be subject to further government approval, as required by the Health and Care Act 2022.