Oxford,
13
June
2016
|
09:00
Europe/London

Oxfordshire County Council’s adult social care teams among the best in England

Summary

Oxfordshire County Council is in the top six local authorities in England for delivering good outcomes for service users of adult social care and for informal carers.

The county council has been ranked sixth out of 152 upper-tier authorities - which includes all of England’s county councils, Metropolitan councils, and Unitary councils.

The information comes from the Adult Social Care outcomes framework for 2014-15 published by the Department of Health. The ranking of sixth is based on the number of times Oxfordshire appeared above average. This showed the county council to be the sixth best in the nation.

Excellent feedback

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: “I was thrilled to learn that our adult social care services have received such excellent feedback as regards our performance in delivering good outcomes for people,

“I have ensured that our staff have heard the message loud and clear that this proves that they operate to the highest standards and that this is a reflection of their dedicated work in ensuring that those in receipt of our services are satisfied.

Achievement despite adversity

Councillor Heathcoat added: “Our staff work tirelessly with the sole purpose of making sure vulnerable people receive the right level of support. It is wonderful to be able to inform the people of Oxfordshire that their adult social care services are is not only in very good hands but is also among the very best on offer in the whole of England.

“It should also be remembered that this fantastic outcome has been delivered at a time when local government is entering its seventh straight year of cuts – so it has been achieved despite a real measure of adversity.”

Committed and professional staff

Paul Cann, Chief Executive of Age UK Oxfordshire said: “Clearly those who pass the threshold for social care support are well served in Oxfordshire. It is great that these people are supported to live independently, with dignity, in their communities. That Oxfordshire manages to do this against a background of the long-term, chronic underfunding of adult social care is to the county council’s credit, and in particular reflects well on its committed and professional staff.”