The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as outstanding, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).
CQC has a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities work with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. This includes promoting the wellbeing and independence of working age disabled adults, older people, and their unpaid carers to reduce their need for formal support where appropriate. Where support is needed it should provide people with choice and control of how their care needs are met.
CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their outstanding rating. CQC has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence shows significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard.
- assessing people’s needs: 3
- supporting people to lead healthier lives: 4
- equity in experience and outcomes: 3
- care provision, integration and continuity of care: 3
- partnership and communities: 4
- safe pathways, systems and transitions: 4
- safeguarding: 3
- governance, management and sustainability: 4
- learning, improvement and innovation: 4
Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“At this assessment, we were extremely impressed by the quality and consistency of support being delivered by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Despite operating in one of the most deprived areas of the country, the local authority is achieving strong outcomes through a clear commitment to prevention, inclusion and personalisation.
“People told us staff listened to them, treated them with respect and involved them in decisions about their care. The local authority responded quickly to requests for support, arranging hospital discharges, equipment and home adaptations, often within a day. Technology such as seizure monitors and medication boxes helped people feel safer and more independent at home.
“The local authority had invested in strong preventative services that are clearly working. For example, a project that reduced hospital readmissions and increased people’s confidence. While reablement outcomes improved significantly from 44% to 71% of people needing no further support in less than a year. These achievements were rooted in timely support, community-based services, and clear coordination across teams.
“We also found a positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. Staff felt supported and empowered to develop their skills and take forward new ideas. Training opportunities helped build confidence in their roles and contributed to a more skilled and capable workforce. Leaders were described as visible, passionate and forward-thinking, with the skills, knowledge and experience to guide the organisation into the future.
“Overall, Barking and Dagenham Council should be extremely proud of this assessment and the outstanding care they’re providing to people. Other local authorities should look at this report to see if there’s anything they can learn.”
The assessment team found:
- Barking and Dagenham Council worked closely with community groups, including mosques and cultural organisations, to ensure people could access care in a way that reflected their faith, identity and language.
- The local authority used technology to improve outcomes. In a homecare pilot involving over 300 people, 81% said they felt safer and 70% reported greater independence. Staff also responded more quickly and worked more efficiently as a result.
- In care homes, the local authority introduced digital tools like robotic pets and video care phones to support people with dementia. These helped maintain wellbeing and connection with family.
- The local authority supported young carers through dedicated pathways, offering coaching, group activities, and emotional support.
- Staff working in frontline services frequently spoke community languages, and the interpreting and translation service reflected the area’s diversity, where 181 languages are spoken.
- The local authority improved accessibility by providing translated online information to explain the adult social care journey, and easy read materials to support understanding of key processes like direct payments and safeguarding.
- Barking and Dagenham Council made sure BSL (British Sign Language) interpretation was available through a dedicated face-to-face service, helping people access care in a way that suited their communication needs.
- The local authority re-designed the direct payments support based on feedback from people and staff, making it simpler to understand and more flexible in practice.
However, the assessment team also found:
- People typically waited for around 136 days for an assessment for equipment. The local authority was taking action to reduce waiting times through recruitment, outsourcing, and prioritisation tools.
The assessment will be published on CQC’s website on Wednesday 19 November.