CQC rates Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s adult social care as Requires Improvement

The Care Quality Commission has rated Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council as Requires Improvement for how well it is meeting its responsibilities under the Care Act 2014 to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.

As part of CQC’s new local authority assessment framework, inspectors evaluated nine areas across four themes. Barnsley received scores of three out of four for supporting people to lead healthier lives, partnership working, and safeguarding. It scored two out of four in the remaining six areas, including assessing people’s needs, care provision, governance, learning and improvement, and safe pathways and transitions.

Inspectors found committed staff and recognised a number of positive initiatives, particularly the council’s work with community organisations to promote independence and help prevent, reduce and delay people’s need for formal care and support.

The assessment highlighted services such as the Barnsley Older Persons Physical Activity Alliance, which supports older people to remain active, healthy and independent within their communities. CQC also praised the authority’s person-centred safeguarding arrangements, noting that people were supported by advocates, family members or friends where appropriate to help them understand their rights and make informed decisions.

However, inspectors identified several areas where improvements are needed.

Some people told CQC they were uncertain whether they would receive support or how to access services, with referral pathways not always being easy to navigate. Unpaid carers also reported mixed experiences, with some saying they were not routinely offered a carers’ assessment when the person they supported was being assessed.

CQC also found concerns around communication between the local authority and partner organisations. Some partners reported inconsistent updates about people’s care journeys and uncertainty around key processes, making it more difficult to coordinate care and support continuity.

The assessment also identified lengthy waits for financial assessments, with some people reluctant to accept services before understanding what their financial contribution would be. Inspectors found data quality issues affected the council’s ability to accurately monitor waiting times for assessments and reviews.

In addition, staff reported insufficient placement capacity for people with learning disabilities, particularly those with behaviours that challenge, meaning some people were required to receive care outside the borough because suitable local provision was unavailable.

Despite these challenges, CQC noted that Barnsley had expanded its Initial Response Team, enabling around 30% of people contacting the service to be signposted quickly to appropriate advice and information. The authority had also increased active care packages by 15%, helping more people remain independent in their own homes.

Commenting on the findings, Chris Badger, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, said the authority had strong foundations in several areas but that leaders recognised where further improvements were needed. He said CQC looked forward to returning to assess the progress made.

The full assessment report is available on the CQC website.

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