Following an inspection in February 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Knowsley Council’s adult social care and support as being ‘Good’ – with ‘Good’ ratings being achieved across ALL nine areas inspected.
Cllr Del Arnall, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: “I am absolutely delighted with the outcome of our inspection and the positive endorsement we have received for our work supporting some of our most vulnerable residents.
“I have always been so hugely impressed by the care and commitment of the staff in adult social care. They go above and beyond on a daily basis and make such a positive difference to the lives of so many people and often at times when they are most in need and most vulnerable. Their dedication is exemplary, and I am so pleased that their efforts have been recognised by the CQC.
“I have always been convinced that we are doing a great job for the people of Knowsley but this report confirms that is the case and what’s more, compared to other local authority areas Knowsley really is delivering the best quality adult services for its communities.”
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Knowsley Council as ‘Good’, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).
The CQC has a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities work with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. This includes promoting the wellbeing and independence of working age disabled adults, older people, and their unpaid carers to reduce their need for formal support where appropriate. Where support is needed it should provide people with choice and control of how their care needs are met.
The CQC inspection of Knowsley’s adult social care services looked at nine areas spread across four themes, to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their Good rating. CQC gave each of these nine areas a score out of four (with 1 meaning the evidence shows significant shortfalls, and 4 showing an exceptional standard). Here’s how Knowsley scored:
- Assessing people’s needs – 3
- Supporting people to lead healthier lives – 3
- Equity in experience and outcomes – 3
- Care provision, integration and continuity of care – 3
- Partnership and communities – 3
- Safe pathways, systems and transitions – 3
- Safeguarding - 3
- Governance, management and sustainability – 3
- Learning, improvement and innovation – 3
James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “At our assessment of Knowsley Council’s adult social care services, we found an open culture, where leaders valued people’s feedback to help drive improvement. This was recognised by people receiving services, who were consistently positive about the person-centred support they were receiving from caring and helpful staff.
“Knowsley Council should be pleased with the many positive findings in our report and are already building on this with further improvement plans. We look forward to returning to see how they have built on these areas of good practice and how their plans mature.”
The assessment team found:
- People consistently share positive feedback about the support provided to them, emphasising the professionalism and helpfulness of the staff at Knowsley Council. They appreciate care plans that reflect their goals and enable active participation.
- Knowsley Council’s social workers are approachable, thorough in their assessments, and attentive to the needs of both people and unpaid carers. Many valued timely reviews, clear contact information for social workers, and tailored support services such as advocacy, day centre placements, financial explanations, and welfare benefits checks.
- Unpaid carers expressed gratitude for additional services offered by Knowsley Council, such as coffee mornings and assistance with legal applications, which demonstrate a commitment to addressing their diverse needs. They also highlighted the benefits of tailored support that significantly improves the lives of those they cared for.
- Knowsley’s preventative services, such as innovative technology and extra care housing, were described as “transformative”, enhancing independence and overall quality of life.
- Knowsley Council demonstrates a commitment to providing high-quality and safe services. It carries out effective audits, achieve person-centred assessments, and streamline processes that reduce delays in interventions and discharges.
- Knowsley Council embraces inclusivity and provides staff training on respectful practices.
- Safeguarding remains a priority, with robust quality assurance measures in place.
- The local authority’s Transformation Plan for 2024–2027 demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and reflected its vision of supporting people to live independently, with a focus on early intervention and prevention.
Rather than pinpointing issues or areas requiring improvement in Knowsley, the CQC highlighted areas where work had already commenced, and where they would like to see further development.
- Whilst waiting lists for occupational therapy had improved, there remains challenges to shorten waiting times and reduce delays.
- Partners welcomed the approach to co-production and were keen to see more diversity in the people engaging in service development – something the Council is already committed to doing inline with changing population demographics.
- Continuing with steps to increase nursing home placements in the borough.
You can read the full inspection report on the CQC website.