Councils to receive adult care rating despite abolition of stars

Councils will continue to be graded on a four-point scale on their performance in adult social care under the new comprehensive area assessment, it was confirmed yesterday.

In April, the CAA replaces all existing performance frameworks for local authorities, including the adult social care star ratings, under which authorities received between zero and three stars.

However, as under star ratings, councils will be graded on a four-point scale, with one denoting poor performance, two representing adequate performance, three performing well and four performing excellently.

The Care Quality Commission will measure how well councils are performing against the seven outcomes for adult care in the 2006 Our health, our care, our say white paper – improving health and quality of life, promoting freedom from discrimination, economic-wellbeing, personal dignity and choice and control, and helping people make a positive contribution.

The assessment by the new Care Quality Commission will inform a scored organisational assessment of councils, based on the same four-point scale, and a new and unscored area assessment of how well councils and their partners are serving their localities.

These will also be informed by a scored assessment of council children’s services by Ofsted.

The Audit Commission published full details on the CAA yesterday.

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