Damning health watchdog report brands Somerset adult social care 'not good enough'

PEOPLE across the Wellington area in need of adult social care are being let down by Somerset Council, a damning report from the health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows.

The CQC report, published today (Friday), branded council services as ‘requires improvement’ and gave all nine inspection areas a score of two out four, where one is indicative of ‘significant shortfalls’ and four is exceptional.

Inspectors found the council relied on on-call specialists rather than having social care expertise consistently available as a first point of contact, which reduced the ability to reliably identify and respond to risk at the earliest stage.

The council did not handle complaints effectively, with more than eight out of 10 upheld by the Ombudsman, well above the 74 per cent national average, and most remedies were delivered late.

The CQC also revealed the council was not completing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards assessments on time.

One person with dementia was left waiting nearly seven years, meaning their rights may not have been respected during that time.

The council admitted it could not keep up with demand and did not yet have a clear plan for clearing the backlog.

CQC chief inspector Chris Badger said: “We found an authority whose leaders and staff wanted to improve the quality of services but faced challenges both financially and structurally, affecting their ability to make a difference to people’s experiences.

“Advocacy arrangements were another area of concern, with case reviews frequently failing to demonstrate whether people had been offered the right advocacy support.

“In one example, a person living with dementia had been permanently moved into a care home.

“There was nobody involved to advocate on their behalf about whether this was what they wanted or if it was the right decision for them.”

Somerset executive Cllr Sarah Wakefield said she was ‘disappointed by the findings’and was ‘fully committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement’.

Cllr Wakefield said: “We want to reassure the people who use our services, their families and carers, that our focus remains on ensuring people receive safe, high-quality support.

“Despite the overall rating, we are encouraged the report recognises areas of good practice and the dedication of our workforce.

“We are building on the progress we have already made since our assessment in September.

“Importantly, many of the areas identified by the CQC are already part of this work.”

Cllr Wakefield said the council had: