Government plans to introduce a single-word rating system for adult social care services should be scrapped given concerns about the ability of councils to meet all of the legal duties they will be judged against, following years of underfunding, the Local Government Association (LGA) said.

From the autumn the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will begin a new assessment regime which will see councils handed an overall rating of either ‘inadequate’, ‘requires improvement’, ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ as part of a new system of adult social care assurance introduced by the government. 

As things stand, the CQC awards overall ratings of ‘inadequate’, ‘requires improvement’, ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, however these are based on ratings on the same scale in the five categories of ‘well-led’, ‘responsible’, ‘caring’, ‘responsive’ and ‘effective’.

Ahead of the LGA’s Annual Conference, councils insist that it is unhelpful and unproductive to give single-word ratings to such complex services, many of which are struggling with the consequences of years of underfunding.

The latest Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) survey found three quarters of directors of adult social care are not confident they can meet their legal duties under the Care Act – these are the duties against which they will be assessed by the new CQC assurance system.

The LGA, which represents 350 councils across England, said narrative reports instead of single-word ratings alone would provide a more useful and balanced picture of the quality of services.

Adult social care has faced over a decade of underfunding, and unmet and under-met need has grown as a consequence. Extra money announced for adult social care in last year’s Autumn Statement will help ease pressures but much of it will be absorbed by meeting demography, pay and inflationary pressures and it falls well short of what is needed to allow councils to fully deliver against their Care Act duties given wider workforce and care market pressures.

In addition, the LGA is also continuing to question the adequacy of earmarked funding for wider reform of care and support. LGA analysis shows: 

• £250 million investment in measures to support the social care workforce equates to £78 per worker per year;
• £102 million investment for home adaptions, which are to help people stay in their home or to get home more quickly after a stay in hospital is under £27 per household per year for those people living with a health condition who require a home adaptation;
• £25 million for unpaid carers works out at £5 per carer.

David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “It is clear that most councils are struggling to meet all of their legal duties under the Care Act. Given that, it seems absurd to push ahead with single word ratings for adult social care departments, which would oversimplify what are very complex services to deliver. As it stands, councils are being set up to fail. 

“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 the pilot sites. Councils want to give full transparency to their residents on how their adult social care services are is performing, but single-word ratings do not do justice to the complex and parlous state that adult social care is in.

”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.”