The Adult Care and Well-Being Overview and Scrutiny Panel of Worcestershire Council met on Thursday, 7 May 2026, to discuss the Principal Social Worker Annual Report and the Supported Living and Shared Lives paper. Key discussions included the quality of social work practice, workforce development, and the provision of supported living services, with a focus on improving outcomes for residents and ensuring the sustainability of care markets.

Principal Social Worker Annual Report

The Principal Social Worker (PSW) for Adults, Kelly Palmer, presented her annual report for 2025/26, highlighting progress in practice development, quality assurance, and workforce development. The report indicated an 84% success rate in strengths-based practice audits, improvements in direct payment processes, and the strengthening of co-production initiatives. Key achievements included the launch of revised assessment and support plan forms, a co-produced direct payment audit form, and a successful Celebrating Social Work Week. Priorities for 2026/27 include enhancing direct payment budget management, developing a new co-production strategy, delivering a refreshed workforce strategy, and embedding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) across all aspects of adult social care.

Councillor Andrew Cross raised concerns about the remaining 16% of audits that did not meet expectations, asking about recurring themes and improvement targets. Ms. Palmer explained that a primary failing was the lack of the individual's voice in assessments, and that new assessment redesigns and training were being implemented to address this. Regarding the low number of direct feedback audits, Ms. Palmer clarified that the process had only launched in January and that efforts would be made to increase the volume of feedback.

Councillor Jenny Shaw inquired about considerations for potential Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) into two unitary authorities. Mark, the Director of Adult Social Services, stated that no work had yet begun on disaggregating adult social care services, as this would depend on the outcome of the LGR decision.

Councillor Richard Morris thanked the team for their work and asked about career paths for social workers, the relationship with the NHS, debt collection practices, and the effectiveness of various panels. Ms. Palmer detailed various career pathways, including specialist roles and advanced practitioner positions. Mark discussed the ongoing relationship with the NHS, particularly concerning hospital discharge and continuing healthcare, noting that national trends were impacting local services. He also elaborated on the complex process of debt collection, emphasizing that social workers' role was to gather information and safeguard individuals, rather than act as bailiffs. He also highlighted the work of various panels, including the Mental Health Learning Disability Panel and the Older Peoples and Physical Disability Panel, and their role in ensuring effective service delivery and financial oversight.

Councillor Cross also raised concerns about the council's £30 million savings target and whether it would impact the quality of social work practice. Mark acknowledged the financial challenges but assured the panel that the service would formally report any inability to meet statutory obligations due to funding constraints. He also noted that legislative changes, such as those to the Mental Health Act, could increase the burden on services.

Councillor Shaw followed up on recruitment, asking if the time taken for the last recruitment process was due to a slow process or a lack of applicants. Mark confirmed that caseloads were generally reasonable but acknowledged pockets of challenge, with agency staff being used to support services where needed. He highlighted Worcestershire's good retention rates and successful workforce strategy, including the move of the social work academy into adult services.

Councillor Adrian Hardman questioned the traditional reliance on caseload numbers to measure stress on social workers. Ms. Palmer explained that the focus had shifted to a more holistic approach, considering well-being, complexity, and career progression, with supervision now incorporating discussions on these aspects. She also mentioned the council's Thriving Minds initiative to support workforce well-being.

Supported Living and Shared Lives

Laura Westwood, Lead Commissioner for Adult Social Care, and Adam, Commissioning Manager for Supported Living, presented an overview of supported living and shared lives services in Worcestershire. They detailed the council's commissioning approach, spending, and the statistics for clients and services. The report highlighted that the majority of supported living spend is on individuals with learning disabilities.

Councillor Michele Hulme asked about monitoring care provider adherence to care plan hours and the action taken for missed or shortened appointments. Ms. Westwood explained that for supported living, hours are generally delivered as staff are on-site, and issues are more prevalent in domiciliary care. She assured that the commissioning team and quality assurance team audit hours delivered against commissioned hours. Councillor Hulme also raised concerns about staff turnover in care provider companies, citing an example of a relative experiencing 11 different carers in three weeks. Ms. Westwood stated that while they monitor staffing levels as much as possible, specific complaints are investigated, but the example provided was too complex to address in detail at the meeting.

Councillor Richard Morris inquired about the supply of suitable premises versus out-of-area support, the embedding of support within communities, and the cost-effectiveness of supported living compared to residential care. Ms. Westwood and Adam explained that while there is a pipeline of new developments, demand, particularly for autistic adults and those with complex needs, is high, leading to some out-of-county placements. They emphasized the council's efforts to bring individuals back to Worcestershire. They also highlighted that supported living is generally well-integrated into communities, with few examples of it being unwelcome. Regarding cost-effectiveness, they confirmed that supported living is generally more cost-effective than residential care, particularly as it does not include housing costs and individuals can access more benefits.

Councillor Tor Pingree asked for clarification on the graph showing average provisional fee rates, which was explained as pounds per hour. She also questioned whether supported living was more cost-effective than residential care, which was confirmed by Ms. Westwood and Adam, provided it was a like-for-like service and dependent on individual needs. They also noted that comparisons with other authorities were difficult due to differing service models.

Councillor Adrian Hardman asked about the process for monitoring client and family satisfaction and how feedback is gathered. Ms. Westwood explained that while commissioners don't receive regular direct feedback, it is gathered during quality assurance reviews and social work reviews. She also highlighted the Learning Disability Partnership Board and a contract with Speakeasy Now for feedback mechanisms.

Councillor Pingree also inquired about strategic and capital investment in supported living, noting the council's initiative in 2015 to invest in cluster flat provisions. Ms. Westwood and Adam detailed how this investment led to improved housing and increased independence for individuals. They also discussed the ongoing need for investment to sustain the market, particularly given historic fee uplifts and increasing operational costs for providers due to legislative changes.

The panel also discussed the challenges of the current market, including recruitment and retention issues, the impact of national minimum wage increases on provider costs, and changes to international recruitment policies. They noted that while the council works hard to maintain positive relationships with providers, the market is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Regarding the work programme, the panel reviewed past discussions and identified outstanding items, including further information on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) performance KPIs and adult safeguarding. They then discussed and agreed on items for future scrutiny, including the outcome of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, adult neurodiversity, and updates on the Worcestershire Learning Disability Strategy. The potential impact of government transformation of adult social care, linked to the Casey report, was also noted.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the work programme for future meetings, with a focus on the CQC inspection outcome, adult neurodiversity, and the implementation of the Worcestershire Learning Disability Strategy. The panel also noted a potential future item regarding relationships with the NHS and specific facilities.