Agenda item

 

To receive a report and presentation which provides an overview of the findings from the Peer Review undertaken by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) in January 2025.  Rotherham Council’s Adult Social Care (ASC) Service commissioned the review in order to provide assurance on the recommendations being implemented to improve the delivery of adult social care for people in Rotherham. 

 

 

The Chair welcomed Councillor Baker-Rogers, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health, and Dania Pritchard, Assurance Lead, Professional Practice to the meeting and invited them to introduce the report and presentation.

 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health  explained that in January 2025, Rotherham Council’s Adult Social Care (ASC) Service undertook a significant step in its journey of continuous improvement by commissioning a peer review from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). This initiative was driven by a desire to gain external assurance on the effectiveness of its service delivery and to ensure that the needs of residents were being met in a compassionate, efficient, and person-centred manner.

 

The review was conducted over three days and was framed around the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assurance framework. Specifically, the review focused on three of the four key themes: working with people, providing support, and leadership. The fourth theme, ensuring safety, had already been addressed through a separate peer review by the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board earlier in the year.

 

To carry out the review, ADASS engaged in a comprehensive process that included the audit of 12 case files, interviews, and discussions with approximately 150 individuals including council staff, partner organisations, and people with lived experience along with a thorough examination of submitted evidence. In total, the Peer Review Team spent around 200 hours engaging with the council, both on-site and through document analysis, to build a detailed understanding of the service’s strengths and areas for development.

 

The findings of the review were both affirming and constructive. ADASS identified ten key messages that painted a largely positive picture of Rotherham’s adult social care landscape. There was clear evidence of strong political and corporate leadership, which instilled confidence in the service’s ability to deliver high-quality care. Relationships with external partners were described as robust and impactful, with numerous examples of effective collaboration that directly benefited service users.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice indicated that one of the most encouraging observations was the growing adoption of person-centred and strengths-based approaches. These practices were becoming increasingly embedded in day-to-day operations, reflecting a cultural shift towards empowering individuals and recognising their capabilities. Staff across the service spoke positively about the learning and development opportunities available to them, highlighting the council’s investment in professional growth and workforce sustainability.

 

The review also noted that the council had established robust systems for quality assurance, performance monitoring, and risk management. Providers reported feeling well-supported through a model of ‘high challenge, high support’ which fostered accountability while encouraging innovation. At the time of the review, there were no delays in the commissioning of home care services, and there was adequate capacity within supported living arrangements—both indicators of a well-functioning care infrastructure.

 

Despite the strengths identified, the review did not shy away from identifying areas where further progress was needed. ADASS recommended that the Council place greater emphasis on articulating the outcomes and experiences of service users, moving beyond process metrics to understand the real-world impact of care interventions.

 

Recruitment challenges remained, which included some use of agency staff and whilst efforts to reduce agency reliance were acknowledged, continued focus was advised to address those challenges. Additionally, the voice of people with lived experience needed to be more deeply embedded, not only in strategic planning but also in everyday service delivery.

 

The Peer Review Team also encouraged the council to celebrate its successes more visibly. They observed that while innovative and effective work was taking place, it was not always recognised or shared widely enough. This presented an opportunity to boost morale, foster pride, and build public confidence in the service.

 

Safeguarding processes were found to be proactive, with risks and outcomes considered early in the intervention. The Council’s market position statement supported a whole-market approach to shaping the independent care sector, ensuring that services were responsive to the needs of Rotherham people and bridged identified gaps. The relationship between commissioning and quality teams was described as strong and collaborative, contributing to the delivery of high-quality community care services.

 

Feedback from individuals with lived experience was overwhelmingly positive. The Peer Review Team met with six distinct groups, including people with learning disabilities and those experiencing mental health challenges, who shared how the services had positively impacted their lives. The Safeguarding Adults Board was also commended for its effective partnerships and coordinated approach to protecting vulnerable residents.

 

Leadership within the Adult Social Care service was consistently praised. Senior leaders were visible, stable, and approachable, and the Principal Social Worker maintained a productive relationship with the Strategic Director, enabling meaningful influence and collaboration. Career development pathways were well-established, with opportunities such as apprenticeships, advanced practitioner roles, and structured support for newly qualified social workers. The service demonstrated a clear willingness to innovate, learn, and adapt which were qualities that gave the Peer Review Team confidence in its future trajectory.

 

In response to the review, the Council developed a comprehensive improvement plan aligned with the CQC assurance framework. This plan included targeted actions across all four themes, even though the peer review had only focused on three. The plan outlined six recommendations under ‘working with people’ four under ‘providing support’ three under ‘ensuring safety’ and four under ‘leadership’. These actions were scheduled for completion by spring 2026 and were to be monitored through the Council’s monthly Adult Social Care Regulatory Assurance Board.

 

Importantly, many of the improvements identified in the review were already underway prior to the ADASS visit, reflecting the Council’s proactive approach to service development. The timing of the review also aligned with preparations for the CQC inspection, which took place in July 2025. Although the results of the inspection were not yet available, they were expected by late autumn, and the service intended to report the findings to the Health Select Commission following receipt.

 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health commented that they felt the report reflected an incredibly positive picture in terms of the provision of Council services for adult social care and health. They believed that the service was committed, had a workforce that was proud to work for Rotherham Council and was very compassionate and caring to the residents they served.  They also noted that the report reflected that the service wanted to move forward in terms of the technologies used to improve ways of working.

 

The Chair thanked The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health and the Assurance Lead, Professional Practice for the comprehensive report and invited questions and comments from Members.

 

Councillor Fisher commented that they like the idea about doing more to celebrate success and achievements. They wanted to understand how the Council intended to address this going forward.

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice advised that the Council had already begun implementing initiatives to celebrate success. Two whole-service events were held annually, which focussed on sharing best practice and celebrating achievements. A new initiative called ‘Time to Shine’ was introduced to highlight impactful stories from staff, which showcased the difference their work made to individuals. These stories were shared with consent, often including photographs. Weekly Senior Management Team meetings featured examples of strong equality, diversity, and inclusion practice. Staff achievements were also recognised through corporate awards and external accolades such as the South Yorkshire Teaching Partnership Awards. Additionally, informal “coffee and cake” sessions were being organised for staff involved in the CQC inspection to reflect and celebrate their contributions.

 

Councillor Fisher also felt that it was difficult to identify from the report which specific parts of the service were attributed to the strengths and recommendations it contained.  They wanted to know if it was possible for this to be clarified in order to allow the Health Select Commission to identify any pockets of concern where it might want to do further scrutiny work or seek further assurances.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer explained that the peer review was conducted at a macro level and assessed the service’s delivery of requirements under the Health and Social Care Act more broadly, whilst it did drill into some specifics.

They proposed consolidating findings from the LGA (Local Government Association), ADASS, and CQC reviews once published into a single overarching update of the service’s improvement journey to bring to a future Health Select Commission meeting to provide clarity and facilitate further scrutiny.

 

Councillor Garnett wanted to know more about the three stage test in safeguarding and wanted to understand what systems were in place to

ensure the consistent application of the test and whether there were any identified patterns or gaps in how the test was applied across various parts of the service.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice advised that the Council had recently strengthened the application of the three-stage test. While a detailed explanation was deferred, it was confirmed that feedback from the ADASS review led to reflection by the Safeguarding Adults Board. In response to a specific case file audit, the board commissioned a Mental Capacity Act coaching support programme to strengthen practice. Officers committed to providing a written response with more detail on the three-stage test.

 

Councillor Garnett also wanted to understand what steps were being taken to improve staff understanding and application of the Mental Capacity Act and whether there were mechanisms in place to audit decisions made under the Act to ensure compliance and best practise.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer explained that staff development included reflective practice through one-to-one discussions at practitioner level and bespoke training. Routine audits were conducted to assess decision-making under the Act, and findings were used to inform further training and development. The council emphasised the importance of equipping staff with the best information to make informed decisions as part of its training and development offer.

 

Councillor Havard wanted to know what strategies were in place to address gaps in commissioning and procurement, given the mention within the report of the need to develop tactical commissioning approaches, direct payments limiting options for support and more work needed to commission a more diverse range of options and more work to map and understand the full range of preventative support available in the community.  They also wanted to know what strategies were in place to address any identified gaps in the market, particularly in light of the anticipated procurement changes, and how the Council used strategic insights to inform commissioning and procurement activities.  They were particularly interested in whether any specific areas such as learning disabilities, micro enterprises, or carer services had been identified for further development.

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer explained that the Council conducted annual market sustainability assessments in order to be clear about the needs that the Council  had for its residents now and in the future and then proactively worked with the market in terms of making sure we can meet those needs now in the medium to long term. Tactical commissioning ensured quality and diversity in service options, including direct payments and support for unpaid carers. Strategic insights informed procurement, and flexible purchasing systems were used to maintain standards with appropriate governance in place to ensure quality assurance and maintain an appropriate suite of options.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer highlighted that direct payments and self-directed support was incredibly important in terms of making sure that people had as much power and control as possible over the services that they want to and do receive as part of Adult Social Care.  They added that specific areas such as learning disabilities, autism, and support for unpaid carers had been targeted for development and that the Council also worked closely with the voluntary and community sector to co-produce and co-design services.  They referred to information previously shared with the Health Select Commission around flexible purchasing systems use in Adult Social Care and how that delivered quality  and sufficiency of care in a timely manner.  They also explained that the Council worked with providers to stimulate them in terms of coming into Rotherham but also supporting the evolution of the provider base to make sure it remained appropriate to need locally and that would continue to be reflected in the market position statement.

 

Councillor Havard requested further reassurance regarding how the Council planned to manage procurement changes without disrupting service provision.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer confirmed that whilst amended procurement regulations were now in place procurement changes would be implemented gradually to avoid disruption. Internal processes were being reviewed to ensure compliance with new regulations, and the focus remained on maintaining high standards of care and support for residents.

 

Councillor Clarke asked officers to elaborate on the recruitment challenges Adult Social Care faced.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice explained that recruitment challenges were an acknowledged national trend. Agency staff were used primarily to address recruitment challenges around specific projects, such as reducing wait times for Care Act assessments. The Council had developed a recruitment microsite to focus on attracting newly qualified social workers, whilst apprenticeship programmes and collaborative work with the South Yorkshire Teaching Partnership were used to grow internal capacity and support future workforce development.

 

Councillor Clarke commented that they would welcome an invitation to any awards ceremony for Adult Social Care staff to show support for those delivering vital front line services.  The Chair echoed that request.

 

Councillor Thorp noted concern about over-reliance on phone and internet support within the report.  They wanted to know how the Council intended to address that.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice reassured Councillor Thorp that face-to-face support remained available, but acknowledged that some individuals felt underserved by digital channels. The Council had implemented digital inclusion strategies, including support at libraries and free Wi-Fi in community centres. Officers clarified that the feedback reflected individual experiences based on a limited sample and emphases that face-to-face assessments were still in place.

 

Councillor Thorp also wanted to understand what was meant by ‘zero delays in home care’ and ‘good capacity for supported living for some people’.

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer  explained that ‘zero delays’ referred to a specific point in time and was subject to change based on demand. The ‘some people’ referred to indicated that supported living capacity was sufficient for certain needs, but matching individual preferences could still result in delays. The Council continued to refine its care and assessment planning to ensure appropriate service matching.

 

Councillor Yasseen reflected that overall, the review had been positive and the explanations provided regarding how improvements would be taken forward had demonstrated reflection and direction in terms of next steps.  They queried whether there was a thematic contrast between strengths and areas for improvement identified in the report as they had noted that the identified strengths focused on internal organisational aspects, while areas for improvement related more to service users’ experiences.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice responded that the feedback was balanced but also reflected a moment in time. They acknowledged the need to promote and expand the mechanisms for embedding lived experience into service design, such as SMS surveys and “How Did We Do” feedback cards, and QR codes.

 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health added that user voice was incredibly important and the service did want to hear about people’s experiences, thoughts, and suggestions.  We do want to hear what people think.

Whilst ideally, the service wanted users to a positive experience, it also wanted to capture feedback and experiences, whatever they were as a vehicle for continual improvement which was why expanding the means of gathering feedback was so important.

 

Councillor Yasseen also wanted to understand what the safeguarding three stage test actually was in practice.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer explained that the test was a legislative framework used to determine whether a safeguarding referral should be made. Practitioners conducted initial screenings, and if thresholds were not met, alternative routes such as contract compliance or social worker reviews were pursued. Officers offered to provide a more detailed explanation in a future safeguarding report if that would be helpful to Members.

 

Councillor Yasseen reflected that the transition from children’s to adult services remained a challenge.  They acknowledged that there had been improvements over time, but queried what more was being done to improve the transition.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice referred to the Preparing for Adulthood pathway, which aimed to ensure timely support for young people approaching 18. Officers acknowledged historical challenges but highlighted recent improvements in early planning and lifetime needs assessments. The council remained committed to strengthening this area further building on the improvements already achieved.

 

Councillor Havard wanted to understand how Adult Social Care services could be more closely aligned with the Carer’s Strategy.

 

The Assurance Lead, Professional Practice explained that the Council worked closely with the Rotherham Carers Network and had appointed Carers Link Officers within Adult Contact Teams. These officers supported carers and ensured alignment between peer review feedback and strategic priorities. The strategic lead for carers participated in the monthly regulatory assurance board to maintain focus and coordination.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer added that alignment was incredibly important for the Council.  There had been significant investment in ensuring clarity around the carer offer and recognising the value and contribution of unpaid carers to the overall wellbeing of Rotherham residents. The focus was on being clear about priorities, informed by lived experience and embedding that in the overall service approach which was enhanced by the appointment of the Carers Link Officers.

 

Councillor Fisher queried the budget implications of using agency staff to address recruitment challenges.

 

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Health Select Commission Link Officer  explained that agency staff usage was managed within the council’s financial framework. It was primarily used to maintain safe staffing thresholds within in-house services and to support transformational projects. Budgetary allowances were made on a case-by-case basis to ensure sustainability and compliance.

 

Resolved:-

 

That the Health Select Commission:

 

1. Noted the findings of the Peer Review of Adult Social Care and the subsequent improvement programme.

 

2. Requested that more specific detail be provided regarding which parts of the service the identified strengths and areas for improvement related to in order for consideration to be given to the need for further scrutiny around particular areas of provision.

 

3. Requested that ‘Time to Shine’ information or information from similar initiatives be shared with the Health Select Commission at regular intervals so that the Commission was sighted on the services success and achievements and the ways in which they were celebrated.

 

4. Agreed that Adult Social Care would provide a consolidated report encompassing the service’s improvement journey in the context of the LGA, ADASS and CQC reports at an appropriate point in the future following the publication of the latter.

 

5. Agreed that the service would provide a written explanation of the application of the three stage test in safeguarding to aid Members’ understanding of this issue.