NEWS: Council’s adult social care gets good rating from watchdog
Sam Greenway - Local Democracy Reporter | 18 March 2026
Solihull Council has been awarded a ‘good’ rating of its adult social care services by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
And in further good news the authority has been judged to be in the top five in the country.
The CQC has a duty to assess how local authorities work with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. The watchdog’s assessment of the authority’s provision took place last year with an onsite inspection in November.
In a report published on March 18 the CQC gave a rating of 84 per cent, placing Solihull fifth in the country against other local authorities.
The inspection focused on nine quality areas, rating them out of four.
The CQC gave a 3, equivalent to a ‘good’ rating to:
- Assessing people’s needs
- Supporting people to lead healthier lives
- Care provision, integration and continuity of care
- Safe pathways, systems and transitions
- Safeguarding
- Learning, improvement and innovation
And three areas were given a 4 score – equivalent to an outstanding rating. These were in:
- Equity in experience and outcomes
- Partnership and communities
- Governance, management and sustainability
The assessment team also praised the authority for community advice hubs playing a key role; using a community development team of local residents to connect with harder-to-reach communities and supporting the borough’s voluntary and charity organisations with funding and support.
Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “During our assessment we saw a strong and steady leadership team that understood its population well and planned carefully for the future.
“Leaders created a culture where staff felt valued and motivated. This meant people received support from teams who were confident, knowledgeable and focused on achieving positive outcomes for local people.
“We saw clear evidence Solihull’s early help and prevention work made a real difference.
“Support for unpaid carers stood out as a particular strength.
“Solihull should be proud of its good rating. We look forward to returning to see how the council continues to strengthen its support for people across the borough.”
Councillor Tony Dicicco, Solihull Council’s cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: “I am absolutely delighted with this outcome and that the commitment and compassion of our staff and leaders have resulted in this rating.
“It is a testament to their dedication and hard work in providing high quality services each and every day.
“This fantastic result is a foundation from which we will strive to further improve.”
Officer Jenny Wood, the authority’s director of adult social care and deputy chief executive, added: “That CQC has found our workforce to be kind, dedicated and compassionate is very special and reflects the many compliments we receive.
“We could not have achieved this result without the effective and constructive working arrangements across the council, and with the many wider partners who work closely with us.”
