Low wait times, high sense of safety: Slough's adult social care praised in new report

Adult social care in Slough Borough has been rated as Good and praised by the care watchdog – especially in light of its historic and ongoing financial troubles.

There were a couple of areas of improvement, said the Care Quality Commission (CQC), but on the whole, the body feels that Slough’s service is on an 'improvement journey.'

The national data from 2024 in relation to Slough was ‘quite negative’, the report noted. Slough was performing worse than England averages on most fronts.

However, there has been ‘a lot of feedback’ from staff about a positive change in the past two years, and there was ‘a sense of camaraderie in the face of adversity’ among them.

Regarding one of the most important matters – safety – more than 81 per cent of people who used adult social care services had they had felt safe.

People had the information they needed to raise concerns if they didn’t feel safe or had concerns about others.

As a diverse place, it is important that Slough’s care service also accounts for any barriers to care faced by different communities. The CQC concluded that Slough’s ‘understood cultural needs well’.

Other major points:

• Waiting times were not long for most services, and some had no waiting list at all
• Advice was accessible, although some people wanted more non-digital options
• Council staff and their partners collaborated well with people receiving support
• People were involved in assessments and decision-making.

Staff acknowledged of gaps in services – such as a lack of respite for autistic people, and a lack of services for complex behavioural needs. They recognised these required investment.

There is also ongoing improvement work to address a gap in culturally appropriate care.

Most people experienced a positive journey as they moved between services, such as from hospital to a care home, or in/out of Slough.

There were ‘clear arrangements’ to make transitions ‘as seamless as possible.’

However, there were ‘mixed experiences’ for those transitioning from children to adult services.

In addition, the CQC heard mixed responses from the unpaid carers. Some received assessments they felt captured their needs, whereas others said they needed more support.

The CQC was full of praise for the leadership team, noting they listened to staff and understood where improvements were needed.

The ‘approachable’ leadership style of the executive director was ‘a real strength,’ the CQC said.

There was ‘lots of positivity’ among staff – they felt ‘valued and motivated’; supported in their roles; and positive about training and opportunities to progress their careers.

Responding to the report, Councillor Anna Wright, lead member for adult social care, said:

“The report highlights the excellent work being undertaken by the team in the very challenging financial circumstances since 2021 and is particularly cognisant of the improvements which have taken place over the past year.

“Where more needs to be done, we will make sure … [we] continue to improve our services for our residents, their dedicated and tireless carers and our young people as they move into adulthood.”