The Public Perspective: Accessing Adult Social Care at Riverside House
Mystery Shopper Findings
The mystery shopping exercise, which included nine different scenarios, resulted in an average service rating of 2.7 out of 5.
- Face-to-Face Interactions: Shoppers found Riverside House to be a clean, accessible, and welcoming building. However, while reception staff were friendly, they often lacked the specific knowledge needed to answer social care queries, typically only providing a phone number rather than detailed information or physical resources like leaflets.
- Telephone Enquiries: Results were mixed. One shopper received excellent, detailed information about equipment and assessments , while another experienced long wait times only to be signposted elsewhere with limited help.
- Website & Digital Access: The website was praised for its professional look and useful chatbot feature. Conversely, some users found the search results overwhelming or felt that certain pages were too text-heavy for people in stressful situations.
- Out of Hours Support: Response times were generally fast, but shoppers noted a lack of empathy in some email communications and felt that personal details were often requested before any helpful information was provided.
Strengths and Successes
- Staff Demeanor: Across almost all platforms, staff were noted for being polite, welcoming, and professional.
- Personalised Care: Feedback from the "Public Voice" survey revealed that residents with assigned social workers had very positive experiences, feeling listened to and well-supported.
Moving Forward
The report highlights a clear need for refreshed training for frontline staff to ensure they can provide basic social care overviews and more effective signposting. Recommendations also include improving the availability of physical information (leaflets) at Riverside House and simplifying the website to make it easier for the public to navigate during a crisis.
To access the full Mystery shopper report: Click Here
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council - CQC Visit
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) recently achieved a 'Good' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with an overall score of 73/100.
For Rotherham residents, this score indicates that the council's Adult Social Care services are performing at a high standard, placing them as the joint-second top-scoring authority in Yorkshire and the Humber.
1. What does the 73/100 score mean?
The CQC uses a percentage-based scoring system to determine ratings for local authorities:
- 63–87% = Good: This means RMBC is solidly within the 'Good' bracket.
- A score of 73 shows the council is performing well above the minimum requirements for a 'Good' rating, showing consistent quality across most service areas, though there is still a clear path toward reaching 'Outstanding' (which requires 88% or higher).
2. Key Benefits for Residents
The CQC assessment highlighted several areas where residents can expect high-quality support:
- Strong Focus on Prevention: The council is actively working to help people stay independent for longer, preventing crises before they happen rather than just reacting to them.
- Specialised Support: New services, like the Complex Lives Team, provide holistic care for those facing multiple challenges or trauma, leading to what the CQC described as "life-changing results."
- Smoother Transitions: Residents reported positive experiences when moving between services: for example, young people moving from children's to adult services, or patients being discharged from hospital back into the community.
- Safety First: The report confirmed that RMBC has effective systems to protect people from abuse and neglect, with a strong emphasis on partnership working to keep vulnerable residents safe.
3. Support for Carers
Unpaid carers in Rotherham are seeing better-than-average support. The report noted that 41.5% of carers were satisfied with social services, which is significantly higher than the England average of 36.8%.
4. Room for Growth
While the "Good" rating is a major achievement, the score of 73/100 reflects specific areas where the council is still working to improve:
- Information Access: Some residents and carers still find the amount of information overwhelming or difficult to find (this aligns with the Healthwatch Rotherham "Mystery Shop" findings).
- Equity in Experience: The CQC noted that more work is needed to ensure that "seldom heard" groups in the community consistently have their voices heard and receive the same level of support as others.
In short: For a resident, this rating provides independent assurance that Rotherham’s social care services are safe, well-led, and effective at helping people maintain their independence and wellbeing.
To read the full CQC report: Click Here
