LONDON – 15 December 2025: Blackpool Council says it has begun to turn around an adult social care service that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) judged “inadequate” following an inspection earlier this year, announcing a series of structural changes and early performance gains intended to address weaknesses highlighted by inspectors.
The CQC report, published after a March inspection, warned the authority’s approach to adult social care was fragmented and insufficiently joined-up to meet needs around mental health and substance misuse. In response, the council established an improvement board in October to drive through reforms and better co‑ordinate partners, and has engaged an improvement adviser supplied by the Department of Health and Social Care to guide the work.
Council leaders say the board brings together representatives from the NHS, Trinity Hospice, local voluntary organisations including Empowerment and Blackpool Carers Centre, and senior council members. An independent chair, a former NHS and local authority director, was appointed to oversee delivery and strengthen accountability, the authority confirmed.
Blackpool’s cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Neal Brookes, described the response as an “exceptionally serious” improvement drive and praised the way health, hospice and third‑sector partners have worked with the council to share expertise and hasten change. He said the partnership approach was already delivering measurable reductions in delays for people seeking help.
Among the figures the council has released to demonstrate progress: requests for support that had been open for more than five days have fallen by 63%; assessments outstanding for more than 28 days have decreased by 14% while the maximum time assessments remain open has fallen by 36%; overdue reviews of care packages have been cut by 46% in median days; and safeguarding enquiries open for more than 60 days have dropped by 65%, with the maximum duration of such enquiries reduced by 63%.
While the council’s published metrics point to faster decision‑making and shorter backlogs in several key processes, the CQC’s original concerns remain a backdrop to the work. Inspectors said the authority needed to develop a clearly integrated strategy for adult social care, particularly to improve its response to complex mental health and substance misuse cases. The council has committed to designing that strategy through the improvement board and with input from local clinical, voluntary and carer organisations.
The council’s account shows a focus on operational fixes — clearing assessments more quickly, reducing review backlogs and speeding up safeguarding casework — alongside governance changes intended to sustain longer‑term cultural and strategic improvement. Officials emphasised the role of independent oversight and external advice in driving reform and signalled they would continue reporting progress to the public and to regulatory bodies.
For families and people who rely on adult social care services in Blackpool the immediate challenge is whether the initial improvements will translate into consistently safer, better quality support on the ground. The CQC has previously acted where local authorities failed to make necessary changes, and the next round of monitoring and inspections will determine whether Blackpool’s reformed structures and the early performance gains are sufficient to move the service beyond an “inadequate” rating.
Source: BBC
