This section sets out the main tools used across Adult Social Care to deliver our stated approach to quality assurance. A more detailed breakdown of the approach, evidence and activity contained within each of the quality tools is provided in Appendix A of the QA Framework (see link in green bar above).

1. Independent Audits

In order to encourage practitioners to be more reflective and accountable for their practice developments, independent auditing involves ‘active’ cases being audited by an independent (external) auditor with the manager and practitioner. The aim of independent auditing is to support practitioners and managers to develop their skills through understanding what best practice looks like. The allocated practitioners and manager are accountable for improvements identified through the audit.

2. Resident Feedback

• Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, including annual survey and check in question responses
• Monthly surveys
• Working groups on specific topics
• CLDS Survey
• Involvement Board feedback
• Residents and service user involvement in contract monitoring for commissioned services
• Feedback and insights will provide an opportunity to identify areas of good practice, celebrate success and identify areas of improvement for learning and improvement.

3. Compliments and Complaints

Regular updates on compliments and complaints, key themes, lessons learnt and progress towards actions. Further information is in a separate page on Compliments, complaints and concerns.

4. Heads of Service Quality Reports

Twice yearly report from each Head of Service reporting on:

• ASC and Carer local and national surveys
• LGA Staff Health Check
• Benchmarking
• Audit outcomes and follow up work
• Findings from quality tools such as direct observation and supervision audits
• Workforce race equality standard
• Safeguarding

ASC Operations, Commissioning and Provider Service use a range of quality tools

ASC Operations

• Case auditing is a key quality assurance mechanism and is the main method for gathering direct evidence and information on the quality of practice, decision making and interaction with people who draw on care and support carers and the professional networks
• An Auditing Framework is being developed for ASC operations, in partnership with residents and operational staff, and led by the Principal Social Workers and Practice Leads.  This will ensure our auditing process systemically and accurately captures the quality of the support provided and outcomes.
• Weekly reviews of S42.1s and S42.2s safeguarding enquiries is already an active practice, within the Safeguarding Team. The team then provides feedback to practitioners/ managers on the quality of the intervention, making recommendations and tracking high risk cases. The team also complete monthly dip sample “pen audits”.
• An programme of auditing by an independent auditor is completed annually. The independent auditing aims to support practitioners and managers to develop skills on what best practice looks like and make improvements that are identified. 

Commissioning

• Commissioners recognise their role in understanding and implementing national guidelines, policies and priorities, and how they can make best use of those tools to monitor, maintain and improve the quality of the care they commission.
• Monitoring and evaluation systems to assure and improve quality are developed with residents and providers.  Assurance includes providers’ compliance with relevant policies and procedures in line with safeguarding legislation and statutory frameworks that underpin adult social care.
• Where required, commissioners develop and implement improvement plans and learning events following concerns around safety, quality or performance. It is an ongoing priority that commissioned as well as in-house provider services meet and exceed quality and safety standards, with equalities and co-production embedded throughout.
• The ASC Commissioning Teams collate a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data about the performance of services, and work with partners to provide support with continuous improvement.

Providers

• In-house Provider Services take ownership of the quality of their services.  They recognise the importance of working with others to drive quality.  This includes co-production with people that draw on services, their families, and carers.  A new Quality and Development Lead role will support with standardising quality assurance approaches across all in-house services.
• Provider Services gather a range of quantitative and qualitative data about the quality of services from various activities that include: observation sessions at supported living and extra care services, Medical Administration, Daily Logs, Care and Support Plans audits to check they are person-centred, Risk Assessment audits, Health and Safety and Fire Safety assessment audits.   
• The data insight team are developing a dashboard to track, analyse and display this data, which includes performance and activity across all services including complaints, incidents/accidents, safeguarding concerns, attendance, voids and staffing oversight, such as supervision frequency and HR information.

More information about quality tools applied can be found in the Appendix of the Quality Assurance Framework (see link in green bar above).