- Foster carers needed
- Awards success for Terrace Gardens
- New Hampton Hill library to open in February
- Richmond upon Thames - one of the sportiest boroughs in England
- Unnanounced inspection praises child safety measures
- Gritters work around the clock to make roads safe
- More cyclists on the road
- Council Christmas opening times
- Young film makers attend science oscars
- Restaurant fined over food hygiene offences
- Happy Christmas from Mayor Celia
- Home Office honours Council drug awareness team
- Cabinet decision confirms HCC and Whiton School as academies
- Christmas party for looked after children
- Cafe Sunshine Christmas fun day
- Local government funding changes: briefing
- Support for executives during the recession
- Renew your Freedom Pass
- £1.8m provided but many are still missing out on unclaimed benefit
- Making journeys to school safer
- Twickenham embankment officially opened
- First ever CAA confirms Richmond upon Thames is 'performing well' in all key areas
- Life drawing exhibition at Orleans House gallery
- A white Christmas comes early to Twickenham Library
- Step forward for Shene Academy plans
- Social care excellence recognised in annual performance report
- Time for a formula change - as Richmond upon Thames get another poor deal
- Gardeners thanked by Council and London in Bloom
- Primary School funding drop in the water - Richmond Council
Release Date: 03/12/2009
Social care excellence recognised in annual performance report
Services for vulnerable adults and older people in Richmond upon Thames are ‘performing well’, with the control people have over the services they receive, and the choice available, considered ‘excellent’. These are the finding of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) annual performance ratings, which are published on 3 December.
The report, which grades services provided by local authorities nationwide, praises Richmond’s Self Directed Support (SDS) programme – which has provided over 1,200 people with a personal budget.
It also recognises the improvements made to safeguarding people’s safety, and the work the Council does with partners, such as the Police and NHS Richmond.
The CQC measures the performance of all local authorities and the services they provide to people with disabilities, older people, people with mental health conditions, and carers.
Cllr Denise Carr, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing, said:
“We are delighted that the CQC recognises the high standards of our services, as well as the continued improvements we have made.
“We want people to feel safe in the borough, make sure they have choice and control in how they live and ensure there are opportunities for them to take an active part in the community. These are the principles that we build our services around, and it is pleasing to know we’re getting things right.
“Thousands of people rely on us and our partners, we will not rest on laurels and will strive to further improve services in the future.”
In grading the Council as overall ‘performing well’, the report states:
“There is effective leadership and direction in the Council, elected members set out a strong vision for the future of adult services and put in place sound business processes to deliver improvement.”
Chief Inspector David Henfrey, from Richmond Police Force, added:
“We work extremely hard with the Council to ensure that local people are safe, both in their homes and when they are out in the borough. This means making sure they are aware of potential threats, and the help they can get from us if they are victims of crime, or have a fear of crime. We are pleased the CQC has recognised the progress we have made and are confident we can continue to ensure the safety of everybody in the borough.”
This is the first of year of performance assessment for Adult Social Care from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a new organisation formed in April 2009 from three previous inspection bodies – the Commission for Social Care Inspection, Healthcare Commission and Mental Health Commission.
Previously councils received annual star ratings to measure their performance. The CQC results instead give a judgement of all services, under seven sub-headings, with gradings ranging from ‘performing poorly’ to ‘performing excellently’.
While no service area saw a decline, the report identified new areas for improvement for Carers, Mental Health services, equalities impact assessments and implementation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
For more information visit www.cqc.org.uk/
View the full press release