The Care Quality Commission has published its assessment of 148 councils' social care services for adults.  In its public statement on the publication of these assessments it comments:

“There has been a steady improvement in ratings awarded to councils. However, our assessment highlights concerns that affect people's lives:

•95% of local authorities are performing either excellently or well in their commissioning of adult social care (compared to 87% in the previous year).
•One quarter of councils are rated only adequate in terms of giving people choice and control over their care.
•A third of councils must do more to care for people with dignity and respect.
Ratings for adult social care providers have improved but one in six providers are rated only poor or adequate:

•77% of care homes, home care agencies, nursing agencies and shared lives schemes are rated excellent or good (compared to 69% in 2008).
•Around 400 regulated adult social care services are rated as poor and 3,500 as adequate.
•In care homes for older people, a fifth failed to meet the standard on social contact and activities.

We have also:

•found that councils must help get rid of poor quality care by purchasing from providers more effectively.
•identified councils where improvements in adult social care must be a priority.
•said we will be vigilant about spotting the impact of the economic downturn on people's access to social care.
•committed to raising the bar on councils and provider”

Source: The Care Quality Commission’s statement on the quality of adult social care
3 December 2009

http://www.cqc.org.uk/newsandevents/newsstories.cfm?cit_id=35577&FAArea1=customWidgets.content_view_1&usecache=false