The Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Leicestershire Council met on Monday 02 March 2026 to discuss the draft Leicestershire Carers Strategy 2026-2030, review national performance benchmarking data, and examine the use of resources within adult social care. The committee also received an update on the delivery of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Improvement Plan.

Draft Leicestershire Carers Strategy 2026-2030

The committee was scheduled to consider the draft Leicestershire Carers Strategy 2026-2030, which aims to improve and strengthen support for unpaid carers across the county. The strategy has been developed following extensive engagement with carers and professionals, identifying key themes such as the recognition and valuing of carers, the need for respite, tackling loneliness and isolation, and improving access to information and services. The report outlined three proposed priorities for the strategy: carers being recognised, valued, and supported; carers being provided with accurate, timely, and relevant information and advice; and carers being supported with their wellbeing and access to services when needed. The committee was asked to provide comments on the draft strategy and support the commencement of a public consultation.

National Performance Benchmarking 2024/25 and Performance Report 2025/26 - Position at Quarter 3

A report was presented to highlight the adult social care comparative performance position for 2024/25 through national benchmarking, alongside an update on the Adults and Communities Department's performance for April to December 2025. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) was discussed, noting changes in how metrics are calculated for 2024/25, making direct comparisons with previous years unreliable. The report detailed performance across various areas, including new contacts, independence measures, timeliness of assessments and reviews, reablement services, and the number of people receiving care and support. Performance in communities and wellbeing was also reviewed, with data on visits to heritage sites and libraries, volunteer hours, and attendance at creative learning services.

Care Quality Commission Assessment 2025 - Improvement Plan Delivery Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the progress made in delivering the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Improvement Plan. Leicestershire's CQC assessment report, published in September 2025, resulted in an overall rating of Requires Improvement. The report detailed the actions being taken to address areas for development identified in the CQC assessment, covering improvements in the timeliness of assessments and reviews, access to information, advice, and guidance, reablement and hospital discharge processes, the sufficiency of provider services, equity of access and experience, safeguarding, and workforce development.

Use of Resources in Adult Social Care

The committee was to consider the Local Government Association's (LGA) 2024/25 report on Use of Resources in Adult Social Care. This report details activity and performance data, with a key change in 2024/25 being the use of Client Level Data (CLD) for activity data, making it not directly comparable with previous years. The report provides a comparison of Leicestershire's expenditure and activity against national averages, CIPFA comparator authorities, and the East Midlands region. Key areas of discussion were expected to include overall spend per adult, spend per older and younger adult, the proportion of adults supported, and the settings of care, such as direct payments, residential care, and community-based support. The report also analysed local unit costs for home care, residential care, and nursing care.

The meeting was also scheduled to include standard agenda items such as the minutes of the previous meeting, question time, and any urgent items.