Adult social care delivers early improvements

05 October 2026

Residents are seeing improvements in access to Adult Social Care services in West Northamptonshire, with waiting times falling significantly and continued work underway to improve support for people who draw on care and support, carers and families.

The update outlines progress made through the Council's Becoming Better Together improvement programme, which was established following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment of Adult Social Care in 2025.

Since the improvement plan was approved in April this year, work has been underway to strengthen services, improve performance and ensure residents receive timely, safe and effective support.

The report highlights early signs of positive progress, including:

• A reduction in the number of people waiting for Occupational Therapy support from 420 to 156.
• A reduction in the number of people waiting for an Adult Social Care assessment from 310 to 72.
• An increase in the proportion of people receiving a review of their care and support within 12 months, from 56% to 75%.
• Improvements in safeguarding processes, workforce development, hospital discharge arrangements and support for carers.

The report also sets out the work still to be done, with a continued focus on areas including data and performance, reducing inequalities, strengthening co-production with residents and carers, prevention and partnership working.

Councillor Laura Couse, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council, said: "We are seeing clear signs of progress across Adult Social Care, with significantly fewer people waiting for assessments and Occupational Therapy support, and more people receiving timely reviews of their care and support.

"These improvements are making a positive difference for residents, carers and families. There is still more work to do, but I am encouraged by the progress being made already. Our focus remains on delivering the improvements residents rightly expect and ensuring people receive the support they need, when they need it."

The Becoming Better Together programme includes 72 actions across a range of service areas and is supported by strengthened governance and oversight arrangements to monitor progress and ensure continued improvement.

Cabinet will consider the report at its meeting on 12 October 2026.