Hackney Council Faces Criticism Over Lengthy Delays in Adult Social Care Assessments
An independent watchdog has delivered a damning verdict on adult social care services in Hackney, revealing that some residents have been forced to wait up to two years for essential assessments of their care needs. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its latest inspection findings on Friday, February 6, concluding that the borough's social care offering requires improvement.
Communication Failures and Extended Waiting Times
Chris Badger, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, highlighted significant issues in how the council communicates with residents. "Hackney didn't always communicate clearly with people, which left some unsure about what would happen next," Mr Badger stated. While most individuals requesting remote assessments received initial contact on the first day, those deemed lower risk sometimes faced delays stretching to two years.
Carers reported confusion about available support, though they were involved in developing a new carers' strategy based on their priorities. The inspector also noted that people with complex needs are not receiving adequate assistance, with more than half (58%) of those with learning disabilities requiring residential care living outside London. "Hackney Council hadn't engaged with these residents to understand how living away from home affected them and their families," he added.
Key Weaknesses Identified by the CQC
The watchdog's report outlined several critical areas where Hackney's social care services are falling short:
- Major home adaptations are taking an average of 12 months to complete
- Only 16% of people needing services receive direct payments
- Some young people transitioning from children's to adult social care experience gaps in support
- The council's website is difficult to access for some, leading to digital exclusion
Areas of Positive Performance and Council Response
Despite these shortcomings, the CQC acknowledged several strengths in Hackney's approach:
- Providing stable, visible, and approachable leadership
- Embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion with a strong anti-racist culture
- Significantly reducing financial assessment waiting lists
- Meeting people's assessed needs effectively
- Offering staff good access to training and development
- Tackling backlog by commissioning a private firm for 300 additional assessments
In response to the assessment, Hackney Council noted that its score of 62 out of 100 represents the highest possible within the 'Requires Improvement' category, which ranges from 39 to 62 points. The council highlighted that recent NHS performance measures show resident satisfaction for adult social care in Hackney at 61.4%, above the London average though slightly below the England average of 65.4%.
Council Commitment to Improvement
Cllr Chris Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture, described the report as a "fair and honest reflection of where we are on our journey" and emphasised that the council is not complacent about the situation. "We are working tirelessly to fix what we need. Our latest data already shows us ranking 5th in London for quality of life, and we will keep pushing until that excellence is felt by every resident and carer in Hackney," he stated.
Cllr Kennedy pointed to a 40% increase in demand for support since 2020 as a contributing factor, while confirming that the council is implementing changes to how it commissions supported living, residential care, and direct payments. Future plans include improving website information, reducing waiting times, and making it easier for carers to access support.
