How we're performing
We use national measures to understand how well Adult Social Care is working and where we need to improve. These measures compare us with similar councils and show whether people are getting the right support at the right time.
What we're doing well
Compared with similar councils, we are performing strongly in several areas:
High-quality residential care
86% of care homes rated Good or Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission - the highest in our peer group. This means most people receiving residential care experience safe, compassionate and effective support.
Helping people stay independent after hospital
76.5% of people aged 65 and over who received reablement after leaving hospital were still living at home 12 weeks later - the best in our peer group. This shows the value of a strengths-based, independence-focused approach.
More people living at home
65.7% of people aged 65 and over receiving support are living at home or with family. This means more people are staying independent at home for longer.
Strong support for people with a learning disability
82.1% of adults with a learning disability aged 18-64 live at home or with family, an improvement on previous years. This means more people are supported to stay independent and live in their own homes.
Safeguarding
In 90% of cases, risks are removed or reduced. This shows that most people are effectively protected from harm when concerns are raised.
Where we need to improve
People’s experience of quality of life
National survey results show a decline in how people feel about their lives. Fewer people feel in control of daily life or have enough social contact. This shows we need to improve choice, consistency of support, and help people stay connected.
Self-directed support and direct payments
Our reported level of self-directed support remains low. This is partly due to long-standing issues with how we record and report the data, rather than just how services are delivered. We are improving how this information is collected and shared.
Direct payments are a separate issue. Take-up is lower than we would like. We are working to improve the information, consistency, and access for people who want more control over how their support is arranged. We aim to increase take-up by 6%. To support this, some of our staff have met with colleagues from another council who have successfully increased their use of direct payments.
Reablement access
Reablement is short-term support that helps people regain confidence and daily living skills after illness, injury or a hospital stay. It can help with things like washing, dressing, moving around safely, preparing meals and rebuilding routines at home. It works well, but not enough people are receiving it. As reablement will be managed by the county council from September 2026, we expect to improve access and support more people to stay independent.
Overall picture
Just over a third of our measures (7 out of 19) are performing strongly compared with similar councils.
At the same time, some areas have declined over the past year, with more measures changing than improving.
Measures linked to people’s experience - including quality of life, social contact and control - are performing below where we want them to be. This shows that while some services are working well, there is more to do to improve people’s day-to-day experience. Improving this remains a key priority.
Change in reporting
We compare our performance with similar councils using national measures, known as the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF).
In 2024-25, the way this data is collected changed. This means some results look different and cannot yet be directly compared with previous years. Even so, the overall picture is clear: we are performing strongly in some areas, but there is more to do to improve people’s experience of care and support.
