Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of (a) the quality of commissioning of social care services by local authorities and (b) the development of high-quality markets of service providers in local areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure factors other than volume and price are used by local authorities when commissioning social care services.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

In delivering their duties, local authorities should work closely with local providers to promote best practice and achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.

To ensure high standards of care, local authorities are assessed by the Care Quality Commission in how well they are delivering these commissioning and market shaping duties. Local authority assessment reports are published by the Care Quality Commission at the following link:

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