South Tyneside Council’s adult social care provision ‘Requires Improvement’ as CQC notes strengths
Adult social care services in South Tyneside have been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated South Tyneside Council’s adult social care provision as ‘Requires Improvement’ as it recognises the strengths of the service.
The rating is based on a review of some of the evidence gathered during a site visit in April 2025 and data submissions made in late 2024, which was undertaken as part of the initial “baselining” phase of a new national inspection framework.
CQC ratings are based on a percentage-based scoring framework and scores between 39% and 62% are classified as ‘Requires Improvement’ - with South Tyneside Council scoring 59%.
In its report, the CQC did recognise strong practice in safeguarding, prevention, strengths-based social work, partnership working and innovation, while also identifying areas where improvement was needed at the time of the assessment.
These included timeliness of assessments and reviews, the experience of unpaid carers, consistency of access to services and workforce pressures.
‘We had already identified many of these priorities ourselves’
Cllr Andy Heywood, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Independence at South Tyneside Council, said: “This report reflects a specific period in 2024/25 and identifies both strengths and areas for improvement.
“We had already identified many of these priorities ourselves and have had a structured improvement programme in place for over two years.
“Since then, we have continued to make progress, strengthening leadership, improving consistency and delivering better outcomes for residents.
“It is important to recognise the positive findings in the report, including our work on safeguarding, early intervention, partnership working and the compassionate, person-centred care delivered by our staff.
“We are incredibly proud of our workforce and the difference they make every day in complex and challenging circumstances.
“Our focus now is on continuing to build on the progress already made and ensuring people in South Tyneside receive the high-quality care and support they deserve.”
Improvement and Assurance Programme
South Tyneside Council has had an Improvement and Assurance Programme in place since 2023/24 as it builds on sector-led peer review activity.
Between early 2025 and early 2026, the programme tracked more than 90 improvement actions across leadership, workforce, practice quality, data, systems, commissioning and engagement.
Some of the progress that has been made to support thousands of South Tyneside residents includes:
- Supporting people earlier and closer to home through investment in Local Area Coordination.
- Improving support for carers, with carers’ assessments increasing by 83% in the past year.
- Delivering direct financial support for residents, with more than £785,000 secured in direct financial gains for local people.
- Making services easier to access and understand.
- Investing in housing and independence, including the development of new specialist accommodation.
- Working with Council partners to improve care and outcomes.
‘Not a service in crisis’
Despite the ‘Requires Improvement’ rating, Cllr Heywood has reassured residents that the Council’s adult social care service is “not in crisis” but is operating in a challenging context that is seen nationally.
He added: “This is a service under pressure, not a service in crisis.
“Adult social care continues to operate in a highly challenging national context, with rising demand reflected locally with thousands of requests for support each year.
“We will continue to work closely with staff, partners, providers and residents as we take this forward, with a clear focus on improvement, impact and better outcomes for people in South Tyneside.”
The full CQC report will be available to view at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/.