Lambeth Council's Adult Social Care services are undergoing an assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with a public judgement expected in late Autumn 2025. The Lambeth Together Care Partnership Board received an update on the assessment at its meeting on 3 July 2025.
Prior to the assessment, Lambeth Adult Social Care (ASC) conducted a self-assessment to identify key strengths and areas for improvement. The self-assessment executive summary highlights strengths such as meeting diverse care and support needs, a strong hospital discharge pathway, a remodelled front door pathway, a diverse and resilient care marketplace, a strong integrated commissioning approach, a strong strategic partnership with the voluntary and community sector, sustained reduction in safeguarding concerns, a robust quality assurance framework, a community-focused workforce, effective use of data, integration of health and social care, and robust governance.
Areas identified for improvement include encouraging wider use of direct payments, reviewing the reablement model, continuing to develop community capacity, streamlining financial processes, embedding the 0-25 Disabilities service, adapting the approach to managing increasing need, responding to recruitment and retention market pressures and continuing to deliver the digital innovation action plan.
The CQC's assessment, which commenced in May 2025, will evaluate Lambeth Adult Social Care (ASC) against nine quality statements, including Equity in experiences and outcomes
. This statement focuses on how effectively Lambeth meets diverse care and support needs, understands inequalities in the borough, and works to improve outcomes for seldom-heard or less visible groups. The Lambeth ASC has provided specific evidence around its work in this area in the CQC Assessment of Lambeth ASC.
The CQC will directly contact representatives from the health and care partnership as part of offsite fieldwork via email or telephone. Contact details were shared as part of the Information Return submission. This is expected to begin in June 2025 and to continue through into the summer.
The board was asked to note the start of the assessment, read Lambeth Adult Social Care's Self-Assessment Executive Summary, and engage with CQC assessors during the fieldwork phase.