Adult Social Care celebrates CQC recognition
Teams across our Adult Social Care services have been recognised for their dedication to supporting people to live thriving lives in Gateshead.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed Gateshead Council's Integrated Adult Social Care Services in nine different areas across four themes, including leadership, support, safety and its work with people.
The regulators found there was a good understanding of the health and care needs of people living in the area, praising the way the authority supported people to lead healthier lives.
The CQC report also highlights work with community groups to deliver services locally, as well as council-commissioned preventative services, such as offering peer support groups and breaks for caregivers.
This includes work to proactively engage with groups where inequality had been identified to understand and address specific issues experienced by them. The local authority has different groups who they used to gather feedback and experiences, including People's Voice, which brings together community and faith organisations.
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.
This has led to people speaking positively about the staff who had assessed them, and the CQC heard multiple examples of staff using their professional expertise to help people overcome significant challenges. People were assessed and supported by a committed, competent and compassionate staff team, who also put people at the centre of safeguarding decisions.
Councillor John Adams, cabinet member for Adult Social Care, said: "We are proud to see our teams across Integrated Adult Social Care Services recognised for everything they do to support our communities to live thriving lives.
"Last year, we introduced Community Led Support, which focuses on enabling people to get support and advice in the community by building a culture based on trust and empowerment, treating people as equals.
"While early days, it's promising that the CQC assessors picked up on our dedication to putting people at the heart of their own care, as well as recognising the training and development of our teams so that they can provide support unique to the needs of different communities.
"Of course, the report also identified areas for improvement, which we are working on across our services and with partners. We would like to thank those across our communities, including our colleagues and the People's Voice group, for supporting the CQC assessment and showcasing our journey to a fairer, community led service."
The local authority was also praised for the way it sought out the views of people and stakeholders to inform commissioning strategy and practice. Gateshead is proactive in collating a variety of views to consider the needs of people from different communities, including minority groups and backgrounds, to ensure future provision could meet the needs of people.
James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:"At this assessment of Gateshead Borough Council's adult social care services, we found the authority had a good understanding of the challenges the local population faced. It was working well with other partner organisations to address challenges around deprivation and health inequalities to improve people's health and wellbeing.
"It had a real focus on supporting people living in Gateshead to stay healthy and avoid the need for formal support where possible. For example, we heard about work to improve people's diet and nutrition. We also saw initiatives to encourage people at risk of falls to do more physical activity which would improve their muscle strength and reduce the likelihood of future falls.
"Overall, Gateshead Borough Council should be really pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. We look forward to returning to see how they have built on areas of good practice and how their plans mature."
Teams across our Adult Social Care services have been recognised for their dedication to supporting people to live thriving lives in Gateshead.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed Gateshead Council's Integrated Adult Social Care Services in nine different areas across four themes, including leadership, support, safety and its work with people.
The regulators found there was a good understanding of the health and care needs of people living in the area, praising the way the authority supported people to lead healthier lives.
The CQC report also highlights work with community groups to deliver services locally, as well as council-commissioned preventative services, such as offering peer support groups and breaks for caregivers.
This includes work to proactively engage with groups where inequality had been identified to understand and address specific issues experienced by them. The local authority has different groups who they used to gather feedback and experiences, including People's Voice, which brings together community and faith organisations.
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.
This has led to people speaking positively about the staff who had assessed them, and the CQC heard multiple examples of staff using their professional expertise to help people overcome significant challenges. People were assessed and supported by a committed, competent and compassionate staff team, who also put people at the centre of safeguarding decisions.
Councillor John Adams, cabinet member for Adult Social Care, said: "We are proud to see our teams across Integrated Adult Social Care Services recognised for everything they do to support our communities to live thriving lives.
"Last year, we introduced Community Led Support, which focuses on enabling people to get support and advice in the community by building a culture based on trust and empowerment, treating people as equals.
"While early days, it's promising that the CQC assessors picked up on our dedication to putting people at the heart of their own care, as well as recognising the training and development of our teams so that they can provide support unique to the needs of different communities.
"Of course, the report also identified areas for improvement, which we are working on across our services and with partners. We would like to thank those across our communities, including our colleagues and the People's Voice group, for supporting the CQC assessment and showcasing our journey to a fairer, community led service."
The local authority was also praised for the way it sought out the views of people and stakeholders to inform commissioning strategy and practice. Gateshead is proactive in collating a variety of views to consider the needs of people from different communities, including minority groups and backgrounds, to ensure future provision could meet the needs of people.
James Bullion, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:"At this assessment of Gateshead Borough Council's adult social care services, we found the authority had a good understanding of the challenges the local population faced. It was working well with other partner organisations to address challenges around deprivation and health inequalities to improve people's health and wellbeing.
"It had a real focus on supporting people living in Gateshead to stay healthy and avoid the need for formal support where possible. For example, we heard about work to improve people's diet and nutrition. We also saw initiatives to encourage people at risk of falls to do more physical activity which would improve their muscle strength and reduce the likelihood of future falls.
"Overall, Gateshead Borough Council should be really pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. We look forward to returning to see how they have built on areas of good practice and how their plans mature."
