Harrow Council faces potential service delivery failures within its adult social care sector, according to a recent meeting of the Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee (GARMS) on 25 November 2025.

The Adult Social Care & Public Health Directorate Risk Register Q2, available in the Public Reports Pack, revealed several risks, including three red-rated risks that could significantly impact the council's ability to meet the needs of its residents. The report stated that there were six open risks, three rated red, one amber, and two green.

These risks and their potential consequences for residents if not effectively mitigated are:

  • Community Equipment Market: There is not full delivery of service in the community equipment market, leading to poor outcomes for service users across Adult Social Services, a negative impact on discharges from hospital, and loss of independence for people living at home.
  • Budget Constraints: Failure to meet the demand for adult social care within the budget set out in the MTFS (Medium-Term Financial Strategy). This poses a risk of potentially failing to deliver statutory obligations and unmet need for adult social care. The directorate is undertaking work to ensure the right commissioning strategies and operational practices are in place to most effectively manage the budget. Improved financial reporting tools have been through testing in Q2 and will soon be available.
  • Staffing Shortages: Failure to recruit and retain permanent experienced and qualified social work staff across Adult Services to meet the demand and complexity of cases, which could increase safeguarding risks and the inability to do business as usual.

The report highlighted that one risk, There is provider failure in the community equipment market, was closed during Q2 because the foreseen risk of provider failure has materialized. New arrangements with a new provider went live in October 2025; however, a full service is not expected until January 2026.

The amber-rated risk is:

  • Fraud is committed at the Directorate resulting in financial loss and reducing available funds for services.

The green-rated risks are:

  • Inappropriate use of public health resources and grant
  • Emergence of a new pandemic variant/virus