TAMESIDE Council has submitted an improvement plan after inspectors found a ‘mixed but improving picture’ of its adult services.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an assurance visit in November 2025 and found a number of concerns.
People told how accessing assessments, including financial, was not always consistent and uncertainty about care costs created additional worry for some.
The authority did not always have sufficient care and support available to meet demand.
People and carers highlighted difficulties accessing respite, short breaks, replacement care, and transport to attend day services, which impacted on their health and well-being.
And a lack of consistent safety processes, such as a 24/7 community response service, meant unregistered staff were making referral decisions without any clear risk criteria, creating a potential risk.
None of the nine areas the CQC looked at showed significant shortfalls, but none reached an exceptional standard.
And Chris Badger, its chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said improvements are necessary and things will be monitored.
He said: “During our inspection, we found that improvements are needed in how adult social care is accessed by local people.
“While leaders showed capability and compassion, the processes they’d put in place weren’t yet well-established enough to make a meaningful difference to people’s care and support.
“Our inspectors heard mixed feedback from people about their experiences of accessing adult social care in Tameside.
“Some described supportive assessment and care planning journeys, where they felt understood and respected. While others experienced frequent staff changes, inconsistent support and communication that didn’t always meet their needs.
“Staff and leaders acknowledged improvements were needed regarding young people transitioning from children to adult’s services, to ensure they were smoother and more co-ordinated with partner organisations.
“At the time of our assessment, new processes were being developed to help improve this process.
“Additionally, the authority didn’t have its own local level written guidance in place to deal with safeguarding incidents.
“This meant some important decisions about people’s situations were made, without staff following the appropriate guidance. This meant people didn’t always receive consistent safeguarding support.
“However, the authority understood its local population well and engaged effectively with the community, including underrepresented groups, to tackle inequalities such as deprivation and higher rates of disability.
“An early support and advice hub had been introduced to direct people to appropriate services, with leaders reporting that 50 per cent of people were signposted elsewhere without needing to progress further into adult social care.
“Leaders understand the areas that need to improve and have already started that work. We will continue to monitor progress to see how this improves people’s experiences of accessing adult social care in Tameside.”
While finding worries, CQC inspectors also found an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Staff had ongoing access to learning and support to help them deliver their Care Act duties safely and effectively.
Tameside Council had learned from people’s feedback about their experiences of care and support, to help drive improvement.
And people told how care packages helped ease pressure on unpaid carers and prevented needs from escalating.
Many said they value the advice and information provided, including links to community and crisis services.
This is the first time Tameside Council has been inspected by the CQC.
In their report, inspectors said, “Tameside’s adult social care system showed a mixed but improving picture, with data indicating rising demand and increasing complexity driven by a growing older population, higher levels of deprivation, poorer health outcomes, and more working age adults with disabilities.’’
They also acknowledged how a “stable leadership team, strengthened structures and active political oversight” were having an impact on governance and accountability.
After receiving the report, Tameside Council’s executive member for adult social care, Councillor Jackie Lane, said: “We welcome the assessment’s findings – both the positive recognition and the areas where further improvement is needed.
“It reaffirms what we already know about our strengths and areas for further learning and I’m pleased to say we’re already putting strategies in place to address these and beginning to see positive outcomes.
“It’s especially pleasing to see the inspectors recognise our staff’s clear passion for helping people lead fulfilling and independent lives.
‘’While we know there is more work to do, we have strong foundations and frameworks to build on, and we feel positive about our improvement journey and clear about our next steps.”
The authority’s strategic director of adult services and health, Joe Kelly, added: “The inspectors recognise we’re offering good strength-based services in an increasingly challenging environment of increased demand and complexity.
“However, we accept there is some inconsistency of practice across areas, and we’re addressing this as a priority as part of our ongoing transformation plans.
‘’It is reassuring that our outcome borders a rating of ‘Good’, we know our strengths and I look forward to leading an innovative improvement plan which takes on board learning from the visit.
‘’Keeping our residents safe is paramount, we recognise feedback on safeguarding from our assurance visit and are reviewing our processes.
“I’m committed to looking at how we can continue to work closely with the people we support, colleagues and partners to shape and further improve services and I thank everyone for their ongoing commitment to this.
‘’Since the assessment, we’ve continued to work with partnership boards, including the Autism Board, Learning Disability Board and the Carers Forum, as opportunities for experiences to be heard. We’re committed to providing person-centred and community led approaches.
“We’re also continuing to work closely with all services across the council to establish what living well looks like for Tameside. This is part of the wider Greater Manchester Live Well vision but tailored to Tameside.”