Bristol Adult Social Care inspection
Care Quality Commission inspection of Adult Social Care in Bristol
On Monday 20 January, Bristol City Council welcomed colleagues from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to City Hall for our first onsite inspection in over a decade. The CQC are assessing local authorities across the UK to understand how they're meeting their statutory duties under the Care Act (2014).
Our onsite inspection followed receiving our initial notification from the CQC about the assessment process back in June 2024. Since then, colleagues working in Adult Social Care and across the council have made an incredible effort to gather and share information and evidence in response to requests from the CQC and prepare for the inspection. Bristol City Council is being assessed on the 12-month period preceding June 2024, when our assessment began.
The inspection has been a great opportunity to showcase how our work positively impacts the lives of those we support, to highlight our collaboration with people with lived expertise, and to emphasize our strong partnerships with system partners, all of which aligns with Our Vision for Adult Social Care in Bristol.
Acknowledgements
It would be remiss of me to not thank our colleagues at the Local Government Association (LGA) for their support throughout the assessment process so far. The LGA helped us to identify areas of improvement and highlighted things that we do well, as well as helping our colleagues to prepare for the onsite visit.
I would also like to pass on my thanks to everyone who gave their time to talk to the CQC team about their experiences, including those who draw on our care and support, carers and circles of support and our social care provider partners. Your feedback has been an invaluable contribution to the evidence and information which the CQC will make their judgement on how we are meeting our statutory duties.
Bristol City Council colleagues who engaged with the CQC inspection team have told me that it has been a positive experience, and it has been fantastic to hear how many people had the opportunity to showcase their innovative work and the meaningful impact it has had on outcomes for the people we support.
Next steps
Over the next few weeks, the CQC will work on a draft report and may request further information from us. Ahead of the final version being published later this year on the CQC website, we will have the opportunity to check the factual accuracy of the report and identify where any evidence is incomplete. The final report will be made available on the councils Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment webpages, where you can also find out more about the assessment process.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch about the assessment process, please contact the council at: ASC.Information@bristol.gov.uk.
Hugh Evans
Executive Director: Adults and Communities , Bristol City Council