CQC rates London Borough of Croydon’s adult social care provision as good

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated the London Borough of Croydon as good, 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 good 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.

1. Assessing people’s needs – 2
2. Supporting people to lead healthier lives – 2
3. Equity in experience and outcomes – 3
4. Care provision, integration and continuity of care - 2
5. Partnership and communities – 3
6. Safe pathways, systems and transitions - 2
7. Safeguarding - 2
8. Governance, management and sustainability - 3
9. Learning, improvement and innovation - 3

Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:

“At this assessment, we found people using services in Croydon were positive about their experience. They told us they felt listened to, included and supported to stay independent, with assessments focusing on what mattered to them, using the least restrictive options. The local authority’s leaders were also visible and well-established, creating a learning culture where staff felt supported and motivated to deliver person-centred care and help people live more independently.

“We saw Croydon Council was committed to equity, diversity and inclusion with both leaders and frontline staff working to reduce inequalities and remove barriers to care. The adult social care workforce reflected the borough’s diversity, with 58% of staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. The local authority delivered anti-racism training for staff and partnered with local organisations to strengthen cultural awareness and knowledge of different community needs.

“People benefited from joined-up support in the community. Partners described practical, collaborative relationships that benefit local people. There were joint teams and co-located services with NHS partners, such as the integrated hospital discharge team. The local authority also worked closely with voluntary and community organisations to deliver prevention and support services where people needed them. Staff used a strengths-based approach, meaning they focused on what mattered to the person, with preventative support that helped people stay well and feel in control of their health and care needs.

“However, support for unpaid carers wasn't always consistent. Some carers weren't aware of options like respite or direct payments, and the carer assessment process didn’t always meet everyone’s needs. Croydon Council is aware of this and has made improving access to direct payments a priority, with plans to strengthen staff training and raise awareness so more people can take control of their care.  

“Overall, Croydon should be really pleased with the many positive findings in our report and their good rating. They’ve already told us how they’re planning to build on this further with improvement plans and we look forward to returning to see how their plans mature.”

The assessment team found:

1. The local authority responded to safeguarding concerns quickly and consistently. Staff routinely involved people in setting the outcomes of their safeguarding enquiries.
2. Many staff were from diverse backgrounds and spoke community languages, which helped people access support at the first point of contact.
3. Local authority leaders recognised that many vulnerable people moved into Croydon from other boroughs. Croydon responded with targeted outreach to help people understand local services and reduce barriers to care.
4. Staff responsible for arranging care used real-time information to find support that met people’s individual needs, including providers who could meet specific language, cultural or equipment requirements.
5. The local authority regularly checked the quality of care provided by services and supported them to improve, with planned visits and clear oversight to help keep people safe.

However, the assessment team also found:

1. There was limited recording of contingency planning in people’s records, for example if an unpaid carer was unexpectedly not available to fulfil their caring duties.
2. There were some examples of co-production, but many people felt the service needed to do more to seek and listen to people’s views, involve them in early decision making, and ensure feedback was used to make improvements.
3. While assessment waiting lists were mostly well managed with a risk-based approach, there were ongoing challenges with occupational therapy wait times. The local authority had made progress in reducing waiting lists for assessments and reviews.

The assessment will be published on CQC’s website on Friday 3 October.