The Corporate Improvement Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet on 23 September 2025, at Observatory House. Councillors were expected to discuss the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Local Authority Assessment Report regarding adult social care, and to review an attendance report.

CQC Local Authority Assessment Report – Adult Social Care Inspection

The committee was scheduled to note and comment on the findings of the CQC assessment report, and the Adult Social Care Directorate Improvement Plan.

The CQC utilises an assessment framework to assess how well local authority adult social care directorates undertake their duties contained within part 1 of the Care Act 2014.¹ In March 2025, the CQC undertook an on-site assessment visit, and subsequently awarded a rating of 'Good'. Scores were awarded against 9 quality statements spanning 4 themes:

• How the local authority works with people
• Providing support
• How the local authority ensures safety in the system
• Leadership

Some of the strengths identified in the report were:

• A focus on prevention and promoting independence, encouraging the use of technology-enabled care.
• Effective reablement services with strong multidisciplinary support.
• Staff held relevant qualifications, and leaders provided ample training and career progression opportunities.
• Many people accessed direct payments, exceeding the national average.
• Staff identified their diverse communities and understood their cultural needs well.
• Clear and effective safeguarding policies.
• The Slough Borough Council and Frimley Integrated Care Board funded 31 local voluntary and community sector groups through the 'One Slough' Community Fund[^1]. [^1]: The One Slough Community Fund is a funding pot for local community projects that focus on health, wellbeing, reducing loneliness, and tackling poverty.
• Strong partnerships with health, housing, police, and fire services.
• A strong culture of listening to staff and people with lived experience.

Areas for development included:

• Care and support services didn't always meet demand, with gaps in adapted housing, respite for autistic people, services for those with learning disabilities and complex dementia, nursing for younger adults with bariatric needs, and day services.
• Mixed feedback from carers, with some missing assessments or unaware of support.
• Transitions from children to adult services remained a challenge.
• National data from 2024 was quite negative, with Slough performing worse than England averages in most metrics.
• Most people and partners said they wanted more non-digital options.
• No dedicated scrutiny panel for adult social care.

The report pack also included a presentation, and the Adult Social Care Improvement Plan. The plan sets out the vision for the next 5 years:

To improve the outcomes of our residents and their carers by enabling people to do more for themselves, focusing on people's strengths even at points of crisis in their lives, by connecting them to their interests and communities and a network of wellbeing, care and support services

The plan is in two parts, covering progress against the Adult Social Care Strategy, and the overall function and delivery of the directorate.

Attendance Report

The committee was scheduled to review the member attendance record for 2025/26.