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Care services in for adults in Croydon are “performing excellently”, with the latest inspection report giving the highest possible rating.
The assessment is the council’s best ever performance, and an improvement on last year.
Independent regulator of health and social care in the UK, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), released its report on November 25, calling Croydon “excellent” in six out of seven assessment categories, and “well” in the seventh.
The report also said: “Recruitment and retention of staff within adult social services in Croydon has improved and is higher than the London average.
Councillor Margaret Mead, Croydon cabinet member for adult social care said: “I congratulate all the people who have worked so hard.”
The commission issued a statement saying key areas such as choice and control, dignity and respect, and health and emotional well-being, had improved for those receiving care.
“The best-performing councils work closely with health agencies to deliver joined-up care, with joint commissioning and monitoring of services becoming more common. This year partnership working was found to be a key strength in half of councils and an area for improvement in a third.”
Hackney and Tower Hamlets compare favourably with Croydon’s results, both being rated “excellent” overall. The weak link in the four East London Line boroughs however, is Lewisham, where two out of the seven categories of assessment are marked only “adequate”. (Click borough names to view 2010 reports)
The report says: “Waiting times [in Lewisham] for minor and major [equipment] adaptations remain higher than for comparator councils”, but that the majority of people are satisfied with the service.
Croydon’s accolade comes just as council employee Val Campany was awarded the employee of the year title for Croydon. Her contribution to social care has been “beyond the call of duty” a council spokesman said.
The commission said: “[Croydon] council has a clear vision for the future of adult social care.”
PDF Links courtesy of www.cqc.org.uk
Care Quality Commission
