Knowsley in UK top three for social services care

Nov 29 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

KNOWSLEY council’s social services department is among the three joint top performing social services departments in the country, according to new ratings published today.

Knowsley was given the maximum three-star rating by the Commission for Social Care Inspection, for the fourth year running, for the way it delivers social services.

It achieved the “excellent” title in six out of seven categories, placing it on a par with London authorities Camden and West-minster as the top performing councils in the country.

Halton council increased its rating from two to three stars from last year, and Lancashire County Council and St Helens maintained their three stars.

Liverpool maintained its two- star rating, as did Sefton, Wirral, Cheshire, and Warrington.

Last night, Knowsley said the secret to its consistent success was the way it delivered social services in conjunction with the NHS. Anita Marsland, the authority’s executive director for health and social care, is also the chief executive of Knowsley Primary Care Trust.

She said: “Our staff know the people they serve very well and are committed and imaginative in the way they deliver services.

“Today’s announcement is a reflection of the hard work and commitment of staff, and it is very well deserved.”

Knowsley council’s health and social care leader, Cllr Jayne Ashton, said: “This is good news for people in Knowsley, especially service users as it demonstrates that they are benefiting from high-quality services. Engagement with the community has led to social services being able to respond to their ideas to improve services.”

Liverpool’s leader in health and adult social care, Cllr Dave Antrobus, said he was delighted the report concluded that the city was continuing to make progress in raising standards.

“We face significant challenges in delivering social care in Liverpool, but the hard work and co-operation between the city council and partners such as the PCT is making a massive difference in improving the quality of care for vulnerable people.”

Liverpool’s executive director of community services, Tony Hunter, said: “Over the last 12 months, we have continued to drive up standards and create a service that provides early inter-vention, is integrated with the NHS and allows us to stop problems becoming crises.

“I am proud of the commit-ment of our staff to improving and delivering top-quality services for the most vulnerable in Liverpool.

“There are still a number of challenges, but I am confident we are in a good position to improve further.”

davidbartlett