Scrap one-word ratings for adult social care too, say councils

Calls have been made for one-word ratings by the health watchdog for adult social care services to be scrapped just as they will be for children’s providers.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said single-word judgments cannot properly capture the “complexity of adult social care and the work councils do to meet their legal obligations”.

Last week, the Government announced that single-headline Ofsted grades for schools were to be scrapped with immediate effect.

Ofsted also inspects children’s social care providers and it is understood single-word ratings for those establishments will be done away with in 2026.

Adult social care providers are subject to inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The LGA’s David Fothergill said while local government “fully supports transparency and accountability”, single word or phrase judgments are not appropriate.

He said: “The Government must ensure that the assurance process is, and remains, productive and supportive for councils. Sufficient time must be given to learn the lessons from councils’ experiences as more go through the assessment process.

”Working with people who draw on care and support, councils and care providers, the Government also needs to urgently develop and implement a fully-costed, long-term, sustainable plan to fund social care. Investment and reform are critical for bringing about real change and better outcomes for people.”

The call has been echoed by the Independent Care Group (ICG), representing adult social care providers in York and North Yorkshire.

Its chairman, Mike Padgham, said such terms are “too short and brief, and do not allow any room for explanation”.

He said the impact of a negative rating on an operator “can be devastating”.

He added: “A ‘requires improvement’ or an ‘inadequate’ rating can unnecessarily push operators to the brink and, in some cases, out of the industry altogether.

“The terms are too short and brief, and do not allow any room for explanation. Either of those two ratings can seriously damage a business’s reputation and cause them to close with the accompanying pressure and distress to the owners.

“We are not looking to weaken inspection in any way and are committed to poor examples of care being identified. But what we need is a partnership approach to the inspection process and far more empathy when organisations are being reviewed.

“In so many cases, these are people’s livelihoods the CQC is inspecting and they have to appreciate that a swift, one or two-word rating can finish them overnight.”

The CQC is facing scrutiny after an interim report published in July found “significant internal failings” affecting the watchdog’s ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.

That review, led by Dr Penny Dash, found some organisations had not been reinspected for several years, with the oldest rating for an NHS hospital dating from more than 10 years ago while the oldest for a social care provider was from 2015.

It prompted Health Secretary Wes Streeting to brand the CQC “not fit for purpose” and in need of “radical reform”.

The full independent report is due to be published in autumn.

A CQC spokesperson said: “Our assessments were developed alongside the sector to help drive improvement by highlighting good practice and areas for further development.

“Local authorities have told us of the value of sharing findings to help make immediate improvements, by identifying their strengths and where gaps may exist. The narrative assessments and conversations they spark are central to this.

“The precise methodology for our local authority assessments, including if assessments result in a rating, is subject to ministerial approval. Any changes to this methodology would be a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).”

The Government said it is not considering scrapping one-word ratings.

A Department of Health and Social spokesperson said: “We recognise the scale and depth of the reforms needed in social care.

“That’s why we will engage widely with the sector as well as people with lived experience on the longer-term reforms needed to build a National Care Service.

“We are thoroughly reviewing the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and as part of that work we have asked the CQC to improve the transparency of their ratings.

“We are not currently considering a change to the single-word ratings system.”