Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve access to care need assessments for (a) deaf and (b) blind people in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Under the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support (Assessment) Regulations 2014, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that people with sensory impairment, such as visual impairments, hearing impairments, and people who are deafblind, in their area can access the right care and support. In addition, under the Equality Act (2010), local authorities must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to the access and provision of care and support for people with sensory impairments. Support for people with sensory impairments will form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report when there is something to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.

The first formal CQC assessments of local authorities began in December 2023 shortly after the CQC concluded its ‘pilot’ assessments in November. Lincolnshire County Council was one of the local authorities that took part in the CQC’s pilots and was given an indicative rating of ‘Good’. Their report, alongside all other formal ratings and reports, can be found on the CQC’s website, at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/lincolnshire-cc

To date, the CQC has published over 40 formal assessments, with ratings of Outstanding, Good, and Requires Improvement. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene.