Praise for county's adult care services

The assessment team reported that more than 85% of the service's provision was rated as "good" or "outstanding"

A county's adult social care provision has been rated as "good" by the government watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed Durham County Council in nine different areas across four themes, including leadership, support, safety and its work with people.

It found there was a good understanding of the health and care needs of people living in the area and the service worked well with partners to agree plans and priorities.

The report did highlight some areas that needed improvement, which the council said it would be working on.

The assessment team reported more than 85% of the service's provision was rated as "good" or "outstanding".

There was praise for the way the authority supported people to lead healthier lives, with the report highlighting work with community groups to deliver services locally as well as council-commissioned preventative services, such as peer support groups and carer breaks.

In addition, there were close links with other organisations to make a single point of access for referrals, so people did not have to keep repeating their stories, which everyone involved felt made a positive difference.

'Great foundation'

However, there was found to be room for improvement in some areas.

These included challenges in accessing services due to the large geography and areas of deprivation, some delays in mental health provision, and also challenges in sourcing flexible respite services.

There also needed to be better understanding of the needs of people whose identity and characteristics were different, such as those from the LGBT or traveller community, and ensure it was reflected in the services available.

James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said the council had "built a great foundation on which to build their future plans and make improvements".

Councillor Chris Hood, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for adult and health services, said the rating reflected "the hard work of all our staff and the efforts they go to in order to provide the best possible care for our residents".

He added: "We do understand that there are some areas for improvements which the team will continue to work on.

"We would like to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to address these areas and that we are always striving to offer the best care and support.”