The Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Committee met on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, to review performance reports, budget outturns, and make appointments to joint scrutiny committees. Key decisions included noting a significant revenue budget overspend, acknowledging positive outcomes from a Care Quality Commission assessment, and approving appointments to joint health overview and scrutiny committees.

Care Quality Commission Assessment in Adult Social Care

The committee noted the positive outcome of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) assessment of adult social care services in Richmond. The CQC awarded the council an overall rating of 'Good', with 75% of quality statements rated as 'Good'. The assessment highlighted Richmond's strong performance in areas such as person-centred assessments, timely and coordinated support, effective partnership working, and robust safeguarding arrangements. Areas identified for further development included strengthening support for unpaid carers and self-funders, and ensuring well-planned transitions for young people moving from children's to adult services. These development areas will be incorporated into the council's wider Transformation Programme.

Revenue and Capital Outturn 2025/26

The committee noted that the revenue budget for the services within its remit was £2.633 million overspent. The majority of this overspend, £2.987 million, was within the Resident Services Directorate, primarily due to increased costs associated with direct homelessness and temporary accommodation. The Adult Social Care & Public Health Directorate, however, underspent by £354,000. The report detailed that demand for homelessness services remains high, influenced by factors such as the end of pandemic protections, volatility in the private rented sector, the cost-of-living crisis, and domestic abuse. Adult Social Care experienced a 2.1% rise in demand, particularly for mental health services. The committee also noted the outturn position on the capital programme, which showed an underspend of £2.984 million.

Richmond Corporate Plan 2025/26 End-Year Performance Report

The committee noted the progress made on actions related to the Richmond Corporate Plan (RCP) for 2025/26 and reviewed performance against key indicators. Of the 13 indicators with comparable data, 11 (85%) were rated as green against their targets, with two rated as red. Areas of improvement included an increase in the number of people quitting smoking, consistently high performance in safeguarding, and a significant increase in the completion of major disability adaptations. However, the rate of admissions for residents aged 65+ into residential and nursing homes had risen, and the number of affordable housing completions was below target due to delayed projects. The committee was asked to consider if any areas of performance should be recommended for inclusion in the Policy and Performance Review Board's workplan.

Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework Annual Performance Report 2024-25

The committee noted and commented on Richmond's performance against the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) indicators for 2024-25. Overall performance was reported as strong, with 70% of indicators in London and 65% nationally falling within the top two quartiles. Richmond ranked highly in London for social care-related quality of life, control over daily life, ease of finding information about services, and feeling safe. Performance indicators also showed strength, with Richmond ranking joint top in London and nationally for care users receiving support through a personal budget, and top in London for safeguarding enquiries where risk was reduced or removed. Areas for attention included supporting people with learning disabilities, where performance remained in the lowest quartile nationally, and supporting older people to remain independent, where a new indicator showed a lower than average proportion living in their own home or with family.

Appointments to Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees

The committee appointed Councillor Dr Mohsin Khan and Councillor Nathanael MacDonald to serve on the South West London & Surrey Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. Councillor Kelvin Cheatle was appointed as a non-voting co-opted member to serve on the North West London Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the same period. These appointments are made to ensure Richmond's representation in scrutinising health reconfiguration proposals across multiple local authority areas.

Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 February 2026 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.