The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of Bath and North-East Somerset Council from requires improvement to good, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.
CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities, with a score of one showing significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard.
1. assessing people’s needs: 2
2. supporting people to lead healthier lives: 3
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: 3
8. governance, management and sustainability: 3
9. learning, improvement and innovation: 3
Mary Cridge, CQC’s director of adult social care and integrated care, said:
When we assessed Bath and North East Somerset Council we found an authority that had made real progress since our last assessment in 2024. People told us they could access help and support easily, and the support they received was person-centred and focused on their strengths, goals and independence. Leaders and staff had worked hard to bring about this change, and it showed in the experiences people shared with us.
A community wellbeing hub was at the heart of this. It brought together the council, health, housing and voluntary sector partners, and gave people a single route into more than 85 services. Partners consistently described it as a success, and it helped people get support earlier and avoid needing longer-term care.
We saw how the council’s partnership working helped people move smoothly between services. Hospital discharge was timely and well-coordinated, and when a care provider closed, the council made sure people were moved in time and were given a choice of alternative accommodation. People involved in coproduction told us it was meaningful and had created a sense of optimism, and unpaid carers who used the commissioned carers centre spoke positively about the support they received.
There is still work to do. Some unpaid carers told us they hadn’t received a carers assessment or didn’t know they could ask for one, and some people continue to find it difficult to access specialist dementia services, supported living and emergency respite. The council recognises these gaps and has plans in place to address them.
Overall, Bath and North East Somerset Council should be proud of its good rating and the progress it has made. We look forward to seeing how it builds on this to improve the experiences of everyone who relies on adult social care.
The assessment team found:
- The authority acted quickly when someone raised a concern that an adult might be at risk of abuse or neglect. Staff reviewed every concern within two days, and often on the same day. The council also asked outside experts to check its safeguarding work, which showed it was working well.
- Staff and partners helped people to avoid going into hospital or to leave hospital sooner. More older people received short-term help to regain their independence at home, with 91% of people who received this help needing no further support, compared with 77% across England.
- The authority also worked to reach people who might otherwise miss out. It involved people experiencing homelessness and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in designing services, and staff reported that more people from these communities were using services as a result.
However:
- The authority hadn’t yet ensured that people who needed specialist dementia care, supported living or learning disability support could access suitable placements. Although the local authority had opened new services, there was not yet enough capacity to consistently meet demand or improve access for everyone.
- The authority hadn't put effective emergency care arrangements in place for people and their families. Staff and leaders hadn’t ensured that unpaid carers could access short notice breaks, with only 8% able to do so compared with 12% nationally. Out of hours, staff could not always secure reliable access to emergency care home placements, which sometimes left them with no alternative but to admit people to hospital.