ADASS and LGA unhappy with CSCI inspection proposals in adult care

Commission for Social Care Inspection plans to change councils’ targets risk increasing burdens on adult care departments.

That was the message from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and Local Government Association in responses to a consultation on CSCI plans to reform the adult care performance assessment.

Councils would continue to be judged against the seven outcomes for adult services – health and well-being, quality of life, making a positive contribution, choice and control, freedom from discrimination or harassment, economic well-being and personal dignity – as well as leadership and commissioning.

Personalise care

But CSCI proposed changing the requirements councils must meet for each outcome in line with the Putting People First agenda to personalise care.

It also proposed reducing data burdens on councils in the annual self-assessment survey by removing requirements to provide information also demanded by the NHS Information Centre and giving councils more opportunities to produce their own evidence for outcomes.

Inputs

Both the LGA and Adass warned that several of the proposed requirements involved the input of other agencies and council services. For instance, the LGA said the proposed quality of life outcome, stating that people should have confidence in their personal safety at home and in the local area, “considers matters such as the environment and community safety” that fall outside adult care’s remit.

Added duties

Adass said the changes would “produce significant additional requirements to identify, gather and report on”, contrary to their intentions and government policy to slash burdens on councils through a radically reduced set of national performance indicators.

David Johnstone, chair of the Adass standards and performance network, said the indicators relating to social care were “very poor” and could not be relied upon to present “a clear picture of what is happening”. This meant CSCI had to seek additional information through the performance assessment.

The Department of Health has set up a working group to revise the adult care indicators.

Johnstone urged the DH to create common data standards for councils to enable adult care departments to supply their own evidence for performance, thereby reducing central burdens.

• Consultation at www.csci.org.uk/professional/default.aspx?page=8004

 

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