Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has welcomed the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s annual assessment of health care and social care in England.

Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“Although this year’s State of Care report makes a raft of important recommendations including a new deal for the adult social care workforce, it is disappointing to note that the report is predominantly a narrative of events which spanned the Covid-19 pandemic, as opposed to a critical reflection of what must change. This is underscored by the lack of internal reflection from CQC as to its handling of the crisis.”

The annual State of Care report, www.cqc.org.uk examines trends, shares examples of good and outstanding care and highlights where care needs to improve. This year’s State of Care starts by considering the quality of care prior to Covid-19 before subsequently examining the impact of the pandemic and the response of the system.

The report highlights the fantastic work of the adult social care sector with 80% of adult social care services were rated as good and 5% as outstanding (31 July 2019: 80%, 4%). However, it is concerning that among mental health services that the level of poor care in inpatient wards for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people continues to rise; the overall proportion of services rated as inadequate rose from 4% to 13%. This emphasises the need to deliver on the Transforming Care target to reduce the total number of patients with a learning disability and/or autism within inpatient units by 35%.

Professor Green continues:

“The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the interdependence of the health and social care system and the organisations that operate across the system. The regulator must now reflect upon its own role and look to facilitate the delivery of safe, quality and sustainable Covid-19 proof care in the future.”

Kate Terroni, the Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at CQC, is due to speak at the Care England conference on 12 November. You can register for free at Care England Conference 2020, or for more information please email: [email protected]