State of Care is the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual assessment of health and social care in England.
The report looks at the trends, shares examples of good and outstanding care, and highlights where care needs to improve.
CQC's report finds that most people in England receive a good quality of care. Its ratings show that quality overall has been largely maintained from last year, and in some cases improved, despite the continuing challenges that providers face.
However, people’s experience of care varies depending on where they live; and that these experiences are often determined by how well different parts of local systems work together.
As at 31 July 2018 (previous year in brackets):
Adult social care services
- 3% were rated outstanding (2%)
- 79% were rated good (78%)
- 17% require improvement (19%)
- 1% were rated inadequate (1%)
NHS acute hospital core services
- 6% of were rated outstanding (6%)
- 60% were rated good (55%)
- 31% require improvement (37%)
- 3% were rated inadequate (3%)
NHS mental health core services
- 8% were rated outstanding (6%)
- 70% were rated good (68%)
- 21% require improvement (24%)
- 1% were rated inadequate (1%)
GP practices
- 5% were rated outstanding (4%)
- 91% were rated good (89%)
- 4% require improvement (6%)
- 1% were rated inadequate (2%)
Some people can easily access good care, while others cannot access the services they need, experience ‘disjointed’ care, or only have access to providers with poor services.
CQC’s reviews of local health and care systems found that ineffective collaboration between local health and care services can result in people not being able to access the care and support services in the community that would avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital, which in turn leads to increased demand for acute services.
