Care Quality Commission inspections (CQC)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

The CQC reports for Cambridgeshire County Council services set out what their findings mean for the people who use the service. They describe the good practice they find, as well as any concerns they may have and clearly set out any evidence about breaches of regulations.

They also make recommendations to help the care provider improve their rating.

Cambridgeshire County Council Adult Social Care services assessment

Following an assessment of the council’s adult social care services between November 2024 and April 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated us as ‘Good’.

CQC looked at nine areas across four themes to assess how well the council is meeting it's responsibilities. These findings contributed to the overall ‘Good’ good rating. CQC has given each of these nine areas a score out of four. One indicates significant shortfalls. A score of four reflects an exceptional standard.

How the local authority works with people

Area	Score
1. Assessing people’s needs	2
2. Supporting people to lead healthier lives	3
3. Equity in experience and outcomes	2

Providing support

Area	Score
4. Assessing people’s needs	2
5. Supporting people to lead healthier lives	3

How the local authority ensures safety in the system

Area	Score
6. Safe pathways, systems and transitions	2
7. Safeguarding	3

Leadership

Area	Score
8. Governance, management and sustainability	3
9. Learning, improvement and innovation	3

A range of successes and areas of good practice were highlighted in the report, including:

Prevention and Reablement success: Quick assessments and goal-focused care are enabling people to stay at home and thrive.
Strong provider relationships: Staff build trust and offer tailored care packages, supported by robust quality assessments.
Leadership that listens: A stable leadership team is driving cultural change and boosting morale.
Wellbeing at work: Staff feel supported through flexible working, wellbeing initiatives, and caring leadership.

The report also includes a number of areas where the council will focus on improvements, including:

Direct payments: The number of people receiving direct payments is significantly below the national average. This needs to be increased to give people more choice and control over their care.
Equity and inclusion: The council needs to improve its use of demographic data to understand the needs of underrepresented groups in Cambridgeshire.
Unpaid carers: The council should build on the work of our All Age Carers Strategy 2022-2026 to ensure unpaid carers have consistently good experiences.
Transitions and continuity of care: The council should work to improve transitions from children’s services to adults’ services for young people, ensuring this is timely and well-coordinated.

You can read the report in full at Cambridgeshire County Council: local authority assessment - Care Quality Commission.

General provider and contract support

Workforce recruitment and retention