'I'm extremely proud of all our staff and always have been'

'I'm extremely proud of all our staff and always have been'

In March, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Wigan Council’s delivery of adult social care services as outstanding.

At the most recent meeting of the council’s cabinet, deputy leader Councillor Keith Cunliffe, portfolio holder for health and adult social care, provided the following update.

I don't think we can ignore this being the first cabinet meeting since the outcome of our CQC assessment. It puts us as outstanding with a 95% score, which is significantly the highest in the country and significantly higher than the three other authorities that have obtained outstanding.

If you read the assessment report, you'll see that this is a recognition of what has been a 15-year program of cultural change and transformation across adult social care.   

It has significantly benefited the residents of this borough and continues to do so.

And what's evident in there is the relationships that this council has with our partners, with communities, with business and the voluntary sector, and how we really have created something that is significantly different from many other places in the way adult social care has been delivered for many years.

It is a real achievement for our staff who've achieved that.

During the CQC inspection, I think the assessment team was significantly affected by the energy, motivation and enthusiasm of the staff who they came to interview. But also the interviews with our partners and communities and voluntary sector and other bodies.

They really saw a consistent message from everybody connected with adult social care across the borough and I think that is what has influenced this outstanding result and such a high score. Because it was recognised that this is not us just preparing for a CQC inspection, this is something that is embedded within the authority and has been developed over a long, long period of time.

It really is a great achievement for our staff to achieve this and I'm sure they'll be extremely proud that they have achieved it. I'm extremely proud of all our staff and always have been. On many occasions I've said: “I think we have the best adult social care team in the country.”

Now somebody else thinks that as well: the CQC inspector. That is a real achievement.

I have said in the past: “I don't know if we are the best adult social care team in the country, but we're certainly in the top one.”  This is a paraphrase of a Brian Clough statement.

But I really do think it's the staff that can be proud and we can be proud.