PARTNERS who provide care for vulnerable adults across Torbay have welcomed a watchdog report which has rated their services as ‘good’.

The Care Quality Commission says while there are still some ‘shortfalls’ in the bay’s adult social care services, the bay is performing strongly in key areas.

Since April 2023 the CQC has had powers to inspect and intervene to make sure people get the best quality care and support, and this is the first time Torbay has been assessed.

Adult social care is provided by the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of Torbay Council as part of an ‘integrated care partnership’.

Cllr Hayley Tranter (Con, Goodrington with Roselands) is the council’s cabinet member for adult social care. She said: “We are very pleased, and I would like to congratulate and thank all those who work in the service locally, all our partners across the NHS, our commissioned care providers and the community and voluntary sector, and also all the people who access our services who took the time to speak to the CQC.

“Our vision is for thriving communities where people prosper, and while we know there is always more room for improvement, this rating gives us the confidence to take what we already do well and build on this to continue to improve.”

Anna Coles, director of adult and community services for Torbay Council, added: “This rating is testament to everyone’s hard work preparing for the inspection on top of their already-incredibly-busy day jobs.

“The CQC praised the support we give unpaid carers, work on our emergency duty services, the support we give people with mental health challenges and our integrated care services.

“We know we have more to do, including some challenges with waiting lists and times and reviewing the needs of People as often as we would like to. We will be approaching this with renewed energy and enthusiasm and building on all the work we have already done.”

And the chief executive of the healthcare trust, Joe Teape, said he was proud of the service.

“Our people are committed to doing all they can to ensure people receive the care they need, in their home and in their community,” he said.

“I am so pleased that our work to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and to get people discharged and back home quickly was described as excellent.”

Across nine areas, Torbay was rated as showing a ‘good’ standard six times and ‘shows some shortfalls’ three times.

Chris Badger, the CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said people in the bay were getting good access to adult social care services that were person-centred and put their wellbeing first.

He said one of the strengths of a service delivered through the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was partnership working with the community and voluntary sector, which had resulted in more responsive care.

He went on: “People told us services were joined-up, with staff able to respond in a person-centred way by supporting people signposting and linking in with partner agencies. We also heard examples of staff advocating for people when health partners wanted to discharge them from hospital too quickly, and of care packages being arranged within hours when needed.”

And, he said, staff were also committed to early intervention, with good examples of avoiding unnecessary care home admissions by giving people the support to remain independent at home.

“Unpaid carers reported very high satisfaction levels and felt well supported,” he added. “However, there are areas that need improvement. While urgent assessments were completed quickly, there were significant waiting times for care plan reviews, with only 44 per cent of people receiving them in a timely way. The authority has recognised this and taken action by working with community partners to reduce the backlog.

“Torbay Council should be pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. We look forward to returning to see how they’ve progressed in addressing the areas for development.”