Waits for a care assessment fell from 310 people to 72 after a poor CQC rating. OT waits fell from 420 to 156. The council admits DoLS waits are still too long.
Far fewer people in West Northamptonshire are waiting for help from adult social care than a year ago.
The number waiting for a social care assessment has fallen from 310 to 72. The number waiting for an occupational therapist has fallen from 420 to 156. Both figures compare September 2025 with the position now, in a report to the council’s Cabinet on Monday 12 October.
More people are also getting their yearly check. The share of people whose care was reviewed within 12 months has risen from 56% to 75%.
Why it matters
The care regulator marked the council down on exactly this. The Care Quality Commission rated West Northamptonshire Council “requires improvement” in a report published on 28 January 2026. The council says its overall score was 59%.
CQC scores councils from 1 to 4 on nine areas. West Northamptonshire scored 2 on six of them, including assessing people’s needs. It scored 3 on three:
- partnerships and communities
- safeguarding
- learning, improvement and innovation
The Cabinet report says inspectors found people “did not always receive sufficiently timely and coordinated support”. It lists waiting times, staff capacity, poor data, communication and unequal access among the problems.
The council supports around 4,261 people with long-term and short-term care.
What the council has done
Cabinet approved an improvement plan on 15 April 2026. It has since grown into a programme called Becoming Better Together, with 72 actions.
The report lists changes made so far:
- a new process to speed up responses to safeguarding concerns
- a policy and tool to keep social workers’ caseloads safe
- a single coordinator for hospital discharge, shared with the NHS
- an outside review of learning disability and autism services, now complete
- a carers’ information pack and better guidance on respite
The council says all of this is being done within existing budgets. It has also sent the required six-month progress return to the Department of Health and Social Care.
What is still not fixed
The council is candid that the work is not finished. Its own improvement plan says:
- “Our waiting times are too long in key areas such as assessment and DoLS”
- “Our performance is below East Midlands and England average in key areas”
DoLS, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, are the legal checks needed when someone who lacks capacity, often in a care home, has their freedom restricted. The report does not say how many people are waiting for one. An options appraisal on clearing that list is due in November 2026.
The report names other gaps too: data quality, unequal outcomes between communities, support for unpaid carers, and involving people who use care in designing it. Carers’ feedback to the inspectors “demonstrated that the experience of support was not consistently strong”.
What it means for you
- If you asked for an assessment and are still waiting, the list is now much shorter. You can chase it through the council’s adult social care pages.
- If you care for someone, the council says it is improving carers’ information and short breaks. Ask for a carer’s assessment in your own right if you have not had one.
- If a relative in a care home is waiting for a DoLS authorisation, the council itself says that list is too long. Its plan for it is due in November.
- Cabinet meets at 6pm on Monday 12 October at The Forum, Moat Lane, Towcester. The agenda is online.
Sources
- Care Quality Commission: Becoming Better Together Improvement Programme, report to Cabinet, 12 October 2026 (PDF), including Appendix A, the improvement plan summary
- CQC Assessment: Stage Three Report to DHSC, Appendix B to the Cabinet report (PDF)
- Adult social care delivers early improvements, West Northamptonshire Council, 5 October 2026
- West Northamptonshire Council: rated requires improvement, Care Quality Commission, assessment published 28 January 2026
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