B&NES Adult Social Care Self Assessment

Important news announced this week by B&NES Council, which will be particularly relevant to any 3SG members who have commissioned contracts within Adult Social Care, and may be required to support the upcoming inspection:

"The B&NES 2024/25 Adult Social Care Self Assessment has now been published and is available to view on our webpage here: https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/adult-social-care-and-health. This document provides an overview of our progress and achievements across the ASC Directorate and outlines our continuous improvement journey.

Alongside the Self Assessment, there are several developments happening within the Directorate simultaneously. The completion of the 2025/26 Improvement Plan highlights the achievements made throughout the past year, which are captured in the Self Assessment, but has also helped guide our focus for further improvements in the coming year. We are in the process of setting our 2026/27 Improvement Priorities, and ASC is listening to staff to ensure we concentrate on the areas that matter most, to deliver the best outcomes for our population.

Lastly, as CQC continues to review their Local Authority Assessment Framework, ASC has remained astute to information regarding the new inspection process, making sure we are well prepared for the new inspection requirements and our ‘inspection readiness’ activity is already well underway as we continue to embed regulatory requirements into our everyday business practices. We can share more about the new CQC Local Authority Inspection Framework and the information CQC request from stakeholders, as the inspection framework is finalised.

Adult Social Care inspection – 27 July

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has informed us that our Adult Social Care Services are being inspected and they will commence their visit on 27 July. I am genuinely pleased that we have been selected for an early inspection. This presents a fantastic opportunity for ASC to demonstrate the tremendous progress we’ve made since CQC’s last visit.

As we prepare for the inspection, partners will be kept updated, especially as we get closer to the date. We’ll be in touch directly with any partners who are required to meet with the inspectors. Thank you to our partners who continue to support our shared commitment to our ongoing journey of improvement."