Sarah Smith, Knowsley Council’s Executive Director for Health and Social Care is delivering a session on “CQC: What makes a Good or Outstanding Council” at a Local Government Association (LGA) webinar this week, following the Council’s positive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection announced last month.
Sarah will participate in a panel discussion on Wednesday 17 September 2025 and will share the council’s experience of the inspection process, sharing top tips and best practice identified by the CQC inspection process with over 200 local authority delegates.
Following an inspection in February 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Knowsley Council’s adult social care and support as being ‘Good’ – with ‘Good’ ratings being achieved across ALL nine areas inspected.
Specially, Sarah shared a number of positives highlighted by the CQC inspectors including: –
- 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.
Cllr Del Arnall, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “It’s great to be invited to this national webinar, sharing our experience and best practice highlighted through the Care Quality Commission inspection process.
“Despite Knowsley having a number of challenges, including high levels of deprivation and health inequalities, CQC Inspectors endorsed that we really are delivering the best quality adult social care services for our communities and I’m delighted to be sharing some our positive initiatives with other local authorities across the country.”