Tower Hamlets' Adult Social Care services have been rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), marking a significant achievement for the borough. The CQC's assessment, which concluded with an on-site visit in October 2025, highlighted strengths in person-centred care, workforce culture, partnership working, and safeguarding. The full CQC outcome report can be found here.
According to the CQC report, published on 18 March 2026, people using the services experience positive, strengths-based support. Assessments were noted for taking into account individuals' cultural identity, communication needs, and personal circumstances to promote independence and wellbeing. This person-centred approach ensures that support is tailored to individual needs, with the report highlighting the council's strong understanding of the borough's diverse population and its targeted work to reduce inequalities. CQC highlighted the use of equality data, culturally appropriate services, and outreach to seldom-heard communities to inform equitable service delivery.
Staff were described as feeling valued and well-supported, contributing to an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning. The report also praised the council's effective joint working with health partners and the voluntary, community, and faith sectors.
Safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective, with clear thresholds, timely responses, and strong multi-agency working. The council's commitment to reducing inequalities and providing culturally appropriate services was also recognised.
The CQC's 'Good' rating was based on several key criteria:
- People's experience of care and support: Person-centred and strengths-based support, with assessments capturing cultural and communication needs, supporting independence and wellbeing. People reported positive experiences, feeling respected and supported.
- Strong workforce culture and leadership: Staff felt valued, supported, and appropriately trained within a diverse workforce. Leadership was described as visible, capable, and compassionate, with an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning.
- Partnership working: Effective joint working with health partners, strong engagement with voluntary, community, and faith sector organisations, and integrated arrangements supporting coordinated care.
- Safeguarding: Clear safeguarding thresholds, timely responses, strong multi-agency working, and learning from reviews embedded into practice. People using services reported feeling safe.
- Equity, inclusion, prevention and wellbeing: A strong understanding of the borough's diverse population, targeted work to reduce inequalities, use of equality data, culturally appropriate services, and outreach to seldom-heard communities. Preventative and wellbeing initiatives were noted for their positive impact.
However, the CQC did identify areas for improvement. Specifically, transitions from children's to adult services were flagged, with some young people and families reporting late assessments and inconsistent experiences. While the report acknowledges that improvement work is underway,
it concludes that the impact of these actions was not yet fully evidenced at the time of assessment.
The Council recognises these findings and is developing improvement plans, which include work to strengthen transition pathways.
Aspects of care provision, commissioning processes, and timely access to certain services, including replacement care for unpaid carers, were also flagged for further development.
Despite these areas for improvement, the overall assessment confirms that Tower Hamlets Adult Social Care is delivering good-quality services within a complex environment, supported by strong partnerships and committed leadership. The 'Good' rating places Tower Hamlets Adult Social Care with an overall score of 70, positioning it among other London boroughs. For instance, Westminster City Council and the London Borough of Richmond also received 'Good' ratings with higher scores of 75, while the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Camden, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea achieved 'Outstanding' ratings with a score of 89. Conversely, the London Borough of Brent, Hackney, and Newham were rated as 'Requires Improvement' with a score of 62.
Further details on council business, including agendas and minutes from recent meetings, can be found on the Tower Hamlets Council democracy portal, such as the Public reports pack 25th-Mar-2026.