The Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee reviewed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) action plan for Adult Social Care, noting the council's Good rating and identifying areas for continued improvement. The committee also endorsed the Annual Principal Social Worker and Principal Occupational Therapist Report, highlighting progress in workforce development and practice assurance, and reviewed the Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Report, endorsing it for publication.

Adult Social Care Care Quality Commission Action Plan and People Waiting Update

The committee received an update on Stockport's Adult Social Care's response to its Care Quality Commission (CQC) Local Authority Assessment, which resulted in an overall Good rating. While acknowledging this positive outcome, the report detailed eight priority areas for improvement, including access, timeliness, waiting times, communication with providers, out-of-hours response, transitions to adulthood, continuity across services, equity and accessibility, market capacity, and commissioning practices. The committee was informed of actions being taken to address these areas, with a particular focus on reducing waiting times for assessments and reviews. The report also highlighted Stockport's strengths, such as positive people's experiences, strong person-centred practice, effective safeguarding systems, and robust partnership working.

Annual Principal Social Worker and Principal Occupational Therapist Report 2025/26

The committee noted the Annual Principal Social Worker (PSW) and Principal Occupational Therapist (POT) Report for Stockport Adult Social Care. The report detailed professional leadership activities, workforce development, partnership working, practice assurance, and CQC assurance. It highlighted the commitment to supporting residents to live gloriously ordinary lives and outlined priorities for the next 12 months, focusing on continued improvement, workforce development, and practice assurance. The report showcased initiatives such as the Stockport Stories case studies, the development of the Live Well Independently in Stockport suite, and efforts to grow the workforce through apprenticeships and student placements. The committee endorsed the priorities identified for continued improvement.

Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Report 2025/26

The committee reviewed and endorsed the Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership Annual Report for 2025/26. The report provided an overview of the Partnership's work between April 2025 and March 2026, detailing assurance on delivery, scrutiny, and learning activities. It highlighted a significant increase in Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) referrals and commissioned reviews, as well as strong performance in Making Safeguarding Personal metrics. The report also addressed the challenges of rough sleeping and homelessness, and outlined the Partnership's strategic plan for 2026-2029, focusing on prevention, homelessness, transitional safeguarding, improving practices, and strengthening governance. The committee endorsed the report for publication on the Safeguarding Adults Partnership website.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee considered its work programme for future meetings. Updates on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) action plan were requested to be included, and the issue of rough sleepers was noted as a potential item for the Housing, Economy and Environment committee. A request was also made for a report on wait times, stemming from agenda item four. The committee also discussed the big conversation on care initiative launched by Baroness Casey, encouraging participation from councillors and residents.