Agenda item

Purpose: To update the Committee on progress following the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Local Authority Assessment undertaken in 2024.

Paul Coe (Executive Director, Adult Social Care and Public Health, West Berkshire Council) presented the report on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) progress report. The report provided an update of the council’s progress in addressing improvement actions identified during the CQC assessment, highlighting that most actions had been completed, with some outstanding challenges remaining in market shaping, commissioning, and care quality. It was also noted that the implementation of the Mosaic system in April 2026 would address some of the outstanding issues.

During the debate, the following points were discussed:

·         It was noted that the CQC inspection covered not only adult social care but also the council’s commissioning function and other aspects of service delivery. The majority of improvement actions identified during the inspection had been completed, with a few areas still requiring further work.

·         It was advised that six outstanding safeguarding process improvements were noted in the report. Paul Coe clarified that these improvements related to workflow and system changes and did not pose any risk to individuals. He confirmed that these would be addressed with the implementation of the Mosaic system.

·         A question was asked about the Mosaic system, and it was explained that it would replace the outdated Care Director system, with a go-live date set for April 2026. He noted that Mosaic would improve data management and support the completion of some outstanding improvement actions.

·         It was discussed that the RACI framework (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) was being used to clarify roles and responsibilities within the improvement process.

·         It was asked whether the task and finish group overseeing the improvement actions would report back to the committee. It was explained that the group was responsible for monitoring progress and that the report presented to the committee summarised its work. The group’s work was ongoing and would continue until the next CQC inspection, at which point a new set of actions would likely be identified

·         A question was raised about the timing of the next CQC inspection. It was noted that while the CQC was reviewing its processes and would present its proposals to the minister in April 2026, the timing of the next inspection was uncertain. It was suggested that the council might be revisited in spring or summer 2026, and readiness activities, including the preparation of a self-assessment, would take place between January and March 2026.

·         Concerns were raised about the use of acronyms and technical terms in reports. It was agreed that future reports would include a glossary to improve accessibility for councillors and members of the public.

·         It was noted that achieving a “Good” rating in the CQC assessment was a significant achievement, particularly as West Berkshire was one of the first local authorities assessed under the new framework.

·         A question was asked about the council’s ability to address market shaping challenges. It was noted that a new commissioning team structure was undergoing consultation and would be implemented to address these challenges.

·         It was discussed that updates on the task and finish group’s progress and the implementation of the Mosaic system would be valuable for the committee to monitor ongoing improvements.

Action: Vicky Phoenix to progress the request for Mosaic to be reviewed by a suitable scrutiny committee.