Waiting lists 'too long' for adult social care

In 2023-24 Leicestershire County Council spent £238.5m on adult social care

People are waiting too long for adult social care assessments at Leicestershire County Council, an inspection by the health care watchdog has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the adult social care service provided by the county council required improvement but praised it for having "committed frontline staff".

The authority - which provides services in the county outside of the city council's boundaries - was assessed by the regulator across nine areas to see how well the authority was meeting its responsibilities, with concerns raised over waiting times.

Jon Wilson, director of adult social care at the council, said improvements were "already under way".

The CQC's report said in February, there were a total of 768 people awaiting a care act assessment to start, which had risen from 690 in September 2024. However, this figure had dropped to 585 in June.

James Bullion, the CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said when the council carried out people's assessments, their experiences were "largely positive".

"However, people waited far too long to receive their assessments, which meant they didn't receive timely care and support," he said.

"This included supporting people to access equipment and minor home adaptations to help maintain their independence."

According to the report, there were different lengths of wait depending on the geographical area, with Charnwood highlighted as having higher waits for mental health support due to "increased demand" in that area.

The CQC said staff were concerned at the time of the inspection that staffing capacity was "not sufficient" to continue to meet demand in the long term.

In 2023-24 the council spent £238.5m on adult social care - 29.9% of the total budget - which was £9.5m less than estimated.

The council's responsibilities include 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.

'Mixed experiences'

The CQC added unpaid carers found it "difficult" to find out what support they could get, with some describing services as "disjointed".

The regulator said the council had taken on board this feedback and it was working to make sure information was accessible for all.

Mr Bullion said: "During our inspection of Leicestershire County Council, we found a local authority committed to getting people the right care and support for their needs.

"However, we found some areas where they need to translate that commitment into ensuring people have more timely access to effective services.

"We found waiting lists were too long for most of the services being offered. People told us they had mixed experiences of contacting the local authority and accessing adult social care support."

Councillor Carl Abbott, cabinet member for adult social care, said: "In the report, the CQC spoke with a range of people who spoke of a positive and respectful approach from staff.

"Our focus now is on stepping up these improvements to make sure people receive the best possible service in Leicestershire."