The assessment team from the care watchdog said our adult social care services evidenced a good standard of care and support with many people experiencing good, joined-up care.
The CQC report highlighted a number of areas where the county council worked well, including:
- hospital discharge
- preventing, reducing and delaying people from going into longer term care
- using direct payments to help people access support to help them live the lives they wanted
More people felt in control of their lives than the national average – 80% compared to 77% nationally – with a higher number of residents satisfied with their care and support than the national average.
They also highlighted that staff were passionate about their work and found creative ways to support people.
Cabinet member for adult care Councillor Natalie Hoy said:
“We’re very pleased the assessment team has recognised the good work being done in Derbyshire to help and support our most vulnerable residents.
“It’s testament to the hard work put in by those who work for us as well as our partners that we’ve been able to achieve this standard and I’d like to thank them all for their dedication and commitment.
“We’re proud of the work we’re doing to help residents to live their best life, with help and support from us when and where it’s needed and the report reflects the improvements we’ve made. For example, in our short-term reablement service to ensure we can help as many people as possible remain at home for as long as they can.
“It also recognises the work we’re doing on direct payments, which gives people more choice and control over their lives.”
Areas highlighted by the CQC inspectors for development included working with people with ‘lived experience’ to help shape services and letting people know the outcome of safeguarding referrals.
Councillor Hoy added:
“While we’re pleased with the overall rating by the CQC, we continue to drive improvements so we can be as effective as possible, helping improve outcomes for people and supporting residents to lead the lives they want to lead.
“Our own assessment was very much in line with the findings of the CQC team and plans are already in place to improve the work we do with communities to make sure they have a say in designing services for the future. We’ve also improved the way we communicate following safeguarding referrals.
“We will continue to work hard to embed the improvements we’ve already made and data for 2024 shows the work we’re doing is already having a significant impact.”