Warwickshire County Council is celebrating a positive outcome from the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessment of Adult Social Care...
Warwickshire County Council is celebrating a positive outcome from the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessment of Adult Social Care, which recognises the county as a high performing and well led authority, committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care and support.
The assessment, part of the national CQC assurance programme reviewing all local authorities in England, highlights Warwickshire’s strong partnerships, resilient provider market, and a clear commitment to doing what matters most to residents.
Strong leadership and a well-run authority
The CQC report praises Warwickshire as a well-run local authority with experienced leadership, clear vision and strong support for adult social care, describing an organisational culture that is open, principled, and focused on doing what’s right.
This outcome reflects the dedication and professionalism of teams across the council and wider health and care partners, who worked collaboratively to provide extensive evidence for the CQC information return, demonstrating the breadth, depth and quality of Warwickshire’s adult social care practice.
A person-centred, values-led approach
Inspectors noted Warwickshire’s strong commitment to ensuring equality of access, inclusion and personalised care, underpinned by high quality Care Act assessments framed around the principle of “What matters to me?”
The report recognises that Warwickshire:
- Has a good understanding of the needs of its population, supported by comprehensive Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and business intelligence.
- Prioritises coproduction and engagement, with growing opportunities for people to provide feedback and shape services.
- Maintains a focus on independence, wellbeing and community-based support.
A resilient, high quality provider market
CQC found that Warwickshire has robust systems and processes to ensure quality across its care and support market, with strong relationships and positive feedback from providers.
Key strengths include:
- A resilient market, despite national pressures.
- Effective quality assurance and provider support, enabling continuous improvement.
- The ability to respond swiftly where necessary to protect continuity of care.
Effective integration and partnership working
The assessment highlights Warwickshire’s strong and effective safeguarding partnership, specialist safeguarding teams, and a track record of integrated commissioning across health and care.
Warwickshire was commended for:
- Effective management of safeguarding concerns and enquiries.
- Strong relationships with NHS partners and voluntary sector organisations.
- Smooth and effective transitions between children’s services and adult social care, with clear plans to further enhance the offer for young people and their families.
Committed teams delivering high quality care
The CQC outcome reflects the dedication, passion and professionalism of Warwickshire’s adult social care workforce. Across the county, teams have demonstrated:
- A commitment to continuous improvement.
- Strong interservice collaboration.
- Deep care for the people and communities they support.
Pete Sidgwick, Director of Social Care and Support, said
“We are incredibly proud of the strengths highlighted in the CQC assessment. This outcome reflects the dedication of our staff, the resilience of our provider market, and the strong partnerships we have across Warwickshire. Most importantly, it confirms that we are delivering the right support in the right way—always focused on what matters to the people of Warwickshire who draw on support.”
Becky Hale, Executive Director for Social Care and Health, said
“Warwickshire’s approach is built on collaboration, compassion and high professional standards. The CQC outcome recognises the hard work of teams right across the Council and the county and the quality of care we strive to deliver every day. We will continue to build on this strong foundation as we move into the next phase of our improvement journey.”
Councillor Anne-Marie Sonko, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council, said:
“We are delighted that the CQC has recognised the dedication of our adult social care teams and the positive experiences of people across Warwickshire. This assessment reflects the hard work, compassion and professionalism of our staff, who consistently go above and beyond to support people to live independently, safely and with dignity.
"We are proud of the strengths highlighted, especially the excellent outcomes in reablement and the high levels of satisfaction among those who use our services. At the same time, we remain committed to learning, improving and working closely with partners to ensure that everyone receives timely, person-centred support. This is an important milestone, and we will continue building on it for the benefit of residents and carers across the county.
"The CQC identified a small number of areas where improvements could further strengthen consistency and access. These include enhancing provider involvement in reviews, particularly in supported living; increasing awareness among carers of their entitlements; strengthening signposting to emergency support for carers; and continuing work to reduce waiting times for assessments and reviews.
"The Council is already working with partners to address these areas, with plans to improve outreach, consultation and monitoring to ensure equitable access and timely, coordinated support.
"Given the CQC determined we were outstanding in relation to learning, improvement and innovation I am confident in our ability to get better.”
The full Warwickshire County Council: local authority assessment report by the CQC is available here: www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/warwickshire-0226