Rochdale to enhance top director’s job

Rochdale adult social services is considering changing its management structure because of concerns that the top job has become too big for one person.

Following the service’s fall from two to one star in last week’s Commission for Social Care Inspection annual ratings and the subsequent early retirement of the head of adult services Stephen Netherwood, the council has launched a fundamental review of how adult social care is managed.

CSCI inspectors highlighted a lack of strategic leadership from management as a major weakness in the department’s performance.

The council’s cabinet member for health and social care Dale Mulgrew said one of the reasons for these problems was the broad portfolio of the head of adult services.

He said: “The current director of adult services is responsible for housing, regeneration and health partnerships as well as care services. He spends 15% of his time on adult care – we need to up the time he can give to that.”

In the interim, the department is to appoint a temporary director of adult care services in January to initially work alongside Netherwood, until he leaves at the end of February, to implement changes in adult social care.

The temporary director will also help recruit a permanent replacement.