Welcome to ‘Making the Difference that matters’
It has been an important year as we continue to respond to the findings of our Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment. The report recognised the progress we are making through our five-year transformation programme and highlighted our strong leadership and committed workforce - something I am proud to see every day.
As we move into the second year of this programme, we are continuing to invest significantly in Adult Social Care. An additional £5.6 million was committed to support our transformation and improvement plans until 2026/27, alongside the £224 million allocated in the 2025 budget. We also secured £600,000 of Accelerated Reform Funding to strengthen support for unpaid carers.
During 2025/26, we strengthened our focus on helping people get the right support at the right time. This includes reducing waiting times for Care Act assessments, improving the timeliness of finance
and benefits assessments, making better use of data and quality assurance, and continuing to invest in prevention.
We continue to listen to people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, staff and partners. Their feedback is helping us improve, particularly around choice, control, social connection and
support for carers. While we are proud of the progress made this year, we know there is more to do, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported our improvement journey.
By working together more closely, we can empower people with lived experience, our staff, and partners to help us drive positive changes for the people that need Adult Social Care and ensure that their voices are heard by decision makers as we transform our services now and, in the future.
Sarah Scott, Executive Director of Adult Social Care, Wellbeing and Communities
I am absolutely committed to making sure people in Gloucestershire are supported to live independent, fulfilling lives, with the right help at the right time.
Over the past year, we have taken steps to make it easier for people to access our services when they need them, to help people maintain their independence by strengthening prevention, and to listen more closely to people who use our services and their carers.
We know support needs often come at difficult times. It is important that services are easy to access, work well together and focus on what matters most to each person.
Every day, I see the dedication of our staff and partners in action, making a real difference for people. As we look ahead, our focus remains on improving people’s experience, helping people get support sooner, and working alongside those who draw on care and support to shape what happens next.
Councillor Dr Kate Usmar, Cabinet Member for Adults’ Support and Independence
