Rochdale adult director responds to Ivan Lewis’s criticisms

The man brought in to turn round Rochdale’s adult care services has denied they are in crisis, after care services minister Ivan Lewis raised concerns this month about the quality of care.

Interim adult social care director Jim Wilson denied the service was “in freefall”.

Wilson was appointed in February after the Commission for Social Care Inspection downgraded Rochdale from two stars to one last year.

Lewis called for the council “to get its act together” and said he would ask CSCI to report to him on progress, after a visit to service users in Rochdale. Meanwhile, Rochdale Unison told Community Care that many staff had left and morale was “at an all-time low”, as a result of moves to set up a re-ablement home care service and outsource remaining in-house domiciliary care provision.

In response, Wilson said CSCI had told the council it was making “good progress”, and that its change programme for social care, including the re-ablement service, was in line with the government’s personalisation agenda.

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