Adult social care requires improvement - watchdog

The Care Quality Commission has told Kent County Council its adult social care provision needs to improve

Adult social care provision in Kent needs to improve, a watchdog has said.

In a report published on Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also said it found "stark contrasts" and "health inequalities" between inland and coastal communities in Kent.

There was a gap in life expectancy of up to eight years between some parts of the county, the body noted.

Kent County Council has been approached for comment.

The authority scored two out of four in seven of the nine categories it was judged in, and three out of four in the remaining two.

James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said investigators met "enthusiastic and committed staff" but also found "stark contrasts between different areas".

He added: "Health inequalities persist despite the authority's efforts to address them.

"While Kent's health outcomes are often better than the national average, this isn't true for coastal areas where communities face worse health outcomes, poorer quality housing, and seasonal employment.

"The six-to-eight-year gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas of Kent illustrates these inequalities."

But he said the authority was doing "some good work" to reduce inequalities.

The report found KCC did not manage transitions between services well, had an uneven distribution of care home places across the county and up to 600 people in hospital beds who could have been cared for elsewhere.

The commission praised the council's efforts to involve people who used services in decision making, and in using new technology, such as an online financial calculator for residents to work out their personal contributions.

It said there were "strong foundations" for the future.

Political leadership of the council passed from the Conservatives to Reform in May's local elections.