Nottingham’s adult social care provision has been rated as “requires improvement” by the CQC.
Adult social care helps people who are transitioning into adulthood and those over the age of 18 who need assistance because of age, disability, or illness.
In 2024/25, just under a quarter of Nottingham City Council’s entire budget for the year went towards adult social care, owing to a population that is generally living for longer with complex health problems.
That year, around 6,270 people were accessing long-term adult social care support, as well as 1,485 people accessing short-term support.
A new inspection report, published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has revealed a number of areas of concern that are in need of improvement.
These include leadership instability and poor governance, delays to care assessments and care equipment, and “significant shortfalls in how the local authority ensures safety within the system”.
Responding, the council said it “fully accepted the findings”.
Councillor Helen Kalsi, executive member for adult social care and health, said: “We strive to provide good-quality services that keep vulnerable people safe, and we have already commenced the work required on improvements that the CQC has highlighted.”
The CQC report, published on Friday 12 June, says inspectors had spoken with people who gave mixed feedback about the waits for assessments following initial contact, with some people having to wait two to three months for an assessment.
However, other people were seen sooner, for example, within the month.
In October last year, there were 474 people waiting for an assessment, and of this number, 423 people had been waiting under three months, 52 people over three months, and 25 people had been waiting over six months.
There were 865 people waiting for annual reviews of their care and support needs, and under a quarter (20 per cent) of the people waiting had not received a review of their support for over 24 months.
Those looking for support over the phone faced similar delays, the report says.
Throughout November last year, the council received 1,848 calls, of which 34 per cent were abandoned, with the average waiting time for calls to be answered being nine minutes and 36 seconds.
“Poor-quality headsets were provided, which made communication with callers difficult, and staff could not always hear people well,” the report adds.
Inspectors did note that once people had got through, “information, advice and signposting were given appropriately.”
Concerns were raised in relation to support for non-English speakers, those with disabilities, and those who were digitally excluded.
“People with sensory needs were not always able to access information or communicate easily with the local authority,” inspectors said.
“For example, access to interpretation and translation services was not always timely, particularly for face-to-face interpretation and the provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.”
Additionally, the report says skilled workers, such as those with British Sign Language and sensory skills, had been moved into more generic teams, resulting in the dilution and reduction of specialist knowledge and capacity, which impacted the quality and consistency of support.
When inspectors spoke to partners, they said the council had “a lack of understanding of groups with specific needs, such as people with brain injuries and autism, leading to insufficient support and inappropriate safeguarding responses”.
Further problems were found in delays to assessing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications, which increased the risk of people’s liberty being restricted unnecessarily.
Meanwhile, people in need of equipment and minor home adaptations to maintain their independence and continue living in their own homes said it was not always easy to access.
“We received mixed feedback from people about how quickly they could access assessments for equipment and how quickly equipment was delivered following assessments,” inspectors said.
“For example, some people were referred and received a quick response, but other people told us they were advised by the local authority that they would wait for up to six months.
“In October 2025, 112 people were waiting for equipment to support their care needs.”
The leadership structure, while it has become more stable recently, led to a “clear lack of overarching strategic vision and narrative”.
There were five different corporate directors in two years, and the strategy for adult social care had not been updated since 2017, leading to “high levels of frustration due to poor communication, high staff turnover, and lack of strategic engagement”.
To ensure improvements are sustained, the council says an improvement board with an independent chair, Anna Earnshaw, has been set up to provide oversight and advice.
Cllr Kalsi added: “What the report also shows is the commitment and compassion of our workforce, and the difference many of our services are already making for people in Nottingham.
“Our focus now is on delivering real, lasting change, working closely with people who draw on care and support, their carers and our partners to make sure everyone can access the right support, at the right time.”
