Tower Hamlets adult social care is aiming to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a goal that was highlighted during a recent Health and Adult Scrutiny Sub Committee meeting. The service currently holds a 'Good' rating from the CQC.
Councillor Sabina Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Health, Caring and Inclusive Communities, and Georgia Chimbani, Corporate Director for Health and Adult Social Care, presented an overview of their directorate's work. They noted that while the service has achieved a 'Good' CQC rating, there is a commitment to further improvement.
Key successes for the directorate in the past year included strong smoking cessation outcomes, with the Quit Right Tower Hamlets
service achieving a 56% quit rate, exceeding the national average. The Communities Keeping Well
programme received a bronze award at the LGA Awards for its work in preventing long-term conditions.
Priorities for the upcoming year include developing a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, recommissioning the substance misuse service, and strengthening neighbourhood working. The new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, slated for development in 2026/27, will form the 'health element' of the 'Our Tower Hamlets vision 2035'. This strategy adopts a life course approach, focusing on 'giving every child the best start, health in adult life, but with a particular focus on older people.' While the core components are not explicitly detailed, the target audiences are understood to be all residents, with specific attention to children, adults, and older people, aiming to tackle health inequalities.
Strengthening neighbourhood working is also a priority for 2026/27. This involves implementing the health and social aspects within 'one-stop shops' and conducting 'pilot work' to ensure accessibility. Jo Frazer-Wise from NHS North East London emphasised that building neighbourhoods and continuing this work is crucial, with primary care playing a central role. The 'National Neighbourhoods Framework' will serve as a guiding document for these efforts.
However, challenges were also identified, including financial pressures, increased demand for services, and the need to integrate with the Integrated Care System (ICS) and the Tower Hamlets Together
initiative.
More information on the committee's discussions can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.
