CQC publishes report on London Borough of Hackney’s care act responsibilities

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated the London Borough of Hackney as requires improvement, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act (2014).   

CQC has a new duty under the Act to assess how local authorities work with their communities and partners to meet their responsibilities. This includes promoting the wellbeing and independence of working age disabled adults, older people, and their unpaid carers to reduce their need for formal support where appropriate. Where support is needed it should provide people with choice and control of how their care needs are met.

CQC looked at nine areas spread across four themes to assess how well the authority is meeting their responsibilities in order to create their rating. CQC has given each of these nine areas a score out of four with one being the evidence shows significant shortfalls, and four showing an exceptional standard.

1.    assessing people’s needs: 2

2.    supporting people to lead healthier lives: 2

3.    equity in experience and outcomes: 3

4.    care provision, integration and continuity of care: 2

5.    partnership and communities: 3

6.    safe pathways, systems and transitions: 2

7.    safeguarding: 2

8.    governance, management and sustainability: 3

9.    learning, improvement and innovation: 3

Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:

“During our assessment of Hackney Council, we found a mixed picture of people’s experiences accessing adult social care. The local authority had clear management arrangements and leaders were working to drive improvement, but delays in assessments and reviews meant some people didn't receive timely support. Hackney was still recovering systems following the cyber-attack in 2020, but showed a clear recovery plan.

“The local authority had implemented a front door process to quickly support those needing remote Care Act assessments, meaning most people had contact with the local authority within the first day. But people who were triaged under the waiting well policy as having low risk had a significantly longer wait, with some cases having waited up to two years.

“Hackney didn’t always communicate clearly with people, which left some unsure about what would happen next. Carers told us they didn’t always understand what support was available to them, however carers were involved in improvements, including developing a carers’ strategy shaped by their priorities.

“We saw there wasn’t enough local care provision for people with complex needs. More than half of mental health supported living placements were outside Hackney, and 58% of people with learning disabilities who needed residential care lived outside London. Hackney Council hadn't engaged with these residents to understand how living away from home affected them and their families. Hackney had started a building programme which would support more people to stay in Hackney in the longer term.

“However, when people received assessments, most described positive experiences. People told us staff listened to them, considered their views and goals, and recognised the communities they belonged to.

“Staff worked in a person-centred way, and Hackney’s strong anti-racist culture meant staff understood and respected people’s protected characteristics. This is particularly significant in Hackney, the 7th most deprived local authority area in England, where 47% of residents are from ethnic minority backgrounds and over 89 languages are spoken. Achieving a good standard for equity in such a diverse and complex community reflects genuine commitment from leaders and staff.

“Leaders understand where they need to improve and had already started to take action. They’ve invested in adult social care and last year reduced the waiting list for financial assessment, which determine whether someone needs to pay towards their care, significantly from 702 to 232 people. They’ve also worked with 160 unpaid carers to co-produce a new strategy that's already delivering results. We look forward to returning to see how this work develops and the difference it makes for people in Hackney.”

The assessment team found:

1. Feedback from community groups and staff showed that people could become caught between teams when services didn't accept referrals or when provision was unavailable. For example, teams gave mixed messages about support for autistic people, some said provision worked well, while others said no services were available to meet needs.
2. Low uptake of direct payments limited choice for some people. Local data gathered in 2024/25 showed that only 15.9% of people who needed services received direct payments.
3. Some young people transitioning to adult services didn't receive assessments until their 18th birthday, which meant care and support plans weren't in place to support their transition.
4. Some people experienced digital exclusion. The local authority acknowledged accessibility issues with its website and had started to address it but this work remained in its early stages. Some people said the local authority could do more to support those who were digitally excluded and felt this hadn't yet become a priority.
5. Major home adaptations took an average of 12 months to complete from referral, and problems with the community equipment provider caused significant delays.

However, the assessment team also found:

1. Hackney Council had a stable leadership team with visible and approachable senior leaders. Staff told us leaders listened to them and supported them, and the Chief Executive and Director of Adult Social Services promoted an open culture where staff could raise concerns.
2. The local authority embedded equality, diversity and inclusion throughout practice and worked proactively with seldom-heard communities, including the Charedi, Turkish, LGBTQ+, Irish Traveller and refugee communities. Leaders recognised the borough’s diversity and were improving how they used data to better understand inequalities in access and outcomes.
3. Hackney Council met people’s assessed needs well. National data from the Adult Social Care Survey 2024/25 showed that 73.12% of people didn't buy additional care privately or pay extra to top up their care and support. This was higher than the England average of 63.73%.
4. Leaders gave staff good access to training and development, including trauma-informed practice and training on bias in discrimination and racism.
5. Hackney Council put plans in place to reduce the waiting list backlog by commissioning a private occupational therapy firm in July 2025 to complete 300 additional assessments. They also developed and rolled out bathing clinics in community venues to support assessments and reduce waiting times.