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Feedback on the usefulness of this bulletin is very much appreciated, such as whether you find the content useful, if anything is missing, or whether more (or less) detail is needed. Please email any feedback to SocialCareCommissioning@coventry.gov.uk
In this issue:
Welcome to the July 2026 Adult Social Care Bulletin. It has been a hot number of weeks, with the warm weather to continue.
This edition highlights the breadth of activity taking place across Adult Social Care and our partner organisations to support people in Coventry to live safe, independent and fulfilling lives.
We are pleased to reflect on some significant achievements, including Coventry’s recent Care Quality Commission rating of Good. This is a testament to the dedication, compassion and professionalism demonstrated every day by colleagues across Adult Social Care and our partner organisations. We are all really proud of this outcome.
Whilst we recognise there is more to do, particularly in supporting unpaid carers and improving outcomes for people with specialist needs, the report provides a strong foundation on which to continue building.
This bulletin also showcases examples of innovation, co-production and community engagement, from shaping the future of supported living services to celebrating Learning Disability Week and promoting opportunities for people with lived experience to influence the development of our services.
We hope you find this bulletin informative and encourage you to get in touch if you would like to get involved in Adult Social Care.
Aideen Staunton, Head of Partnerships and Social Care Operations
Following an announcement today the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the Council’s Adult Social Care Services as good.
Coventry’s Council leader said he is really pleased about the rating, which follows a detailed inspection of local adult social care services in the city.
Cllr George Duggins, Leader of Coventry City Council, said:
“I’m absolutely delighted. Many of us will be impacted by Adult Social Care Services at some stage in our lives. That is why it is such a crucial part of Council services.
“I’d like to congratulate my colleague Cllr Linda Bigham who worked tirelessly as Cabinet Member with senior managers to help lead the services.
“Although we would be the first to acknowledge that not everyone has the quality of experience through Adult Social Care that we aspire to, the outcome of the inspection demonstrates that we are getting it right for many people and through the compassion and commitment of our workforce, who are a credit to the service, we are confident in ability to further improve.
“We also believe this reflects really well on the way we work with other services and key partners including University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire and the Integrated Care Board. So much of what we do is partnership work - integrating services in the best interest of local people and service users.”
Cllr Linda Bigham, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said:
“The overall positive findings of the inspection is testimony to the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of all those involved in the delivery of Adult Social Care in Coventry, to which I deeply appreciate. I am incredibly proud of having the privilege of being Cabinet Member for a service area that supports some of our most vulnerable residents.”
Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said:
“Leaders and staff should be pleased with the many positive findings of our report.
“Their work had a positive impact on people’s lives, and we look forward to seeing how their plans further develop and improve access to services.”
Pete Fahy, Director of Care, Health and Housing said:
“I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this inspection of our services; people who work in Adult Social Care and the wider City Council, partner organisations, people with care and support needs and unpaid carers. The Care Quality Commission have provided us with a detailed report which we appreciate. There are lots of positives but we want to use the inspection as a baseline from which to continue to improve in all aspects of our service delivery."
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Coventry City Council as good, 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 duty under the Health and Care Act 2022 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 9 quality statements spread across 4 themes to assess how well Coventry City Council is meeting its responsibilities in order to arrive at the rating of good. CQC has given each of these 9 areas a rating out of 4 on the scale of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate. Seven areas were rated as Good, with 2 being rated as Requires Improvement.
Pete added:
“Our percentage score is 70% which compares well to other local authorities for which reports have been published.”
“This also demonstrates the work our staff do, day in day out, to support people in Coventry with care and supports needs and with unpaid carers. I’ve spoken to colleagues and told them that their enthusiasm, commitment and dedication really came across to the inspection team and is reflected in the inspection report and overall judgement.”
Specific comments within the CQC report being:
- Coventry had a range of services and resources in place to reduce people’s future needs for care and support and help them remain as independent as possible
- Coventry’s commitment to working in partnership and constantly learning to improve services stood out, and people told us they were happy with the care and support they received
- staff teams told us there were strong pathways in place with good communication between teams which supported appropriate care and support for people
- staff told us there was a learning culture where their views were listened to and respected. They told us they were being supported by colleagues, managers and senior leaders, especially when working with complex situations
- there was strategic alignment between the local authority and health partners. Integrated arrangements were supporting strong partnership working and provided smoother experiences of health and social care support
- partners also told us person-centred approaches to assessments and reviews were ensuring people had the correct support. They told us staff were not only removing risks for people but were compassionate and mindful of the support people needed
- areas identified as requiring further improvement include access to services within the city for those with specialist requirements or high support needs and continuing to deliver improvements in our support to unpaid carers
Pete added:
“The report lists a lot of positives as well as areas we need to work on to continue to improve, but our staff should all feel proud of what we have collectively achieved.”
SignVideo is a video relay service that we are now using to connect Deaf customers with Adult Social Care Direct. SignVideo enables those Deaf customers to connect to a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter, who then places a call to the Adult Social Care Direct phone number.
We recognise Deaf BSL users are a distinct language group with its own form of communication and are keen to use any means possible to promote the service, so please tell friends and family if you think they would benefit!
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Carers Week 2026
Every year, during the second week of June, we celebrate Carers Week. It’s an important opportunity to raise the profile of carers, start meaningful conversations about caring, and help people connect with the right support.
The week got off to a strong start with a Let’s Talk session and an online Coffee and Cuppa, followed by our flagship annual event at the Coventry Building Society Arena, where we engaged with a wide range of carers, family members and people receiving care.
We had valuable conversations with both carers we had previously connected with and those new to caring. We also met with a peer support group for carers of people with psychosis or bipolar disorder, who spoke passionately about the benefits of peer support, the isolation they had experienced, and their desire to be involved in delivering our strategy.
One of the most impactful aspects of the week was the power of storytelling, with staff sharing their lived experiences of balancing work and caring responsibilities through intranet articles.
These stories highlighted both the challenges and the positive support available across the council for working carers. A huge thank you to the Working Unpaid Carers Staff Network for organising the internal events and helping to bring these stories to life.
 Carers and Coventry City Council workers showing their support for Carers Week.
Help us co-produce our Carers Strategy
Coventry Carers Strategy 2026 to 2031 - continuing the conversation. Co-design the Carers Strategy.
When
Wednesday 20 August 2026, 10:30am to midday.
Where
Council House, Earl Street, CV1 5RR
Following on from engagement sessions held throughout March to June, this session will cover:
- an overview of feedback and what carers told us
- local data and key headlines
- co-producing our priorities
- developing our action plan
- next steps with strategy development and further opportunities to be involved
This session is for carers to attend. If you look after someone or know a carer who would like to share their views and be involved in the co-creation of our strategy, please share these details and email carers@coventry.gov.uk.
Getting involved in Adult Social Care!
We are always looking for ways to engage and communicate with people to support with our service improvement and development. To promote this, we have created a short questionnaire for you to complete if you would like to get more involved in Adult Social Care.
This can include anything from receiving emails, all the way to supporting in recruitment interviews for staff. Please take 2 minutes to complete the survey, and we look forward to hearing from you.
The Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group meet every other month to discuss any upcoming developments, projects and changes. They are there to influence, make changes and help us improve the experience of people accessing Adult Social Care.
The group is made up of people receiving support, carers and voluntary sector organisations.
In June 2026, the group discussed Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and the CQC Inspection Outcome.
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 The group has input into the language and layout of the Adult Social Care Offer (even correcting typos). The group is growing and we're always looking for new members and people who are passionate about using their own experience to help shape our future practice.
If you would like to get involved, you can email GetInvolvedASC@coventry.gov.uk for more information.
Experience surveys
We are continuing to promote the ‘experience survey’. In 2024 to 2025 we received 256 surveys and we would ultimately like to achieve 300 a year so its comparable with the uptake of our postal surveys.
Last year we also started 2 new surveys which we would encourage you to complete if they are applicable to you:
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safeguarding experience survey as our standard approach to seeking feedback from people about their safeguarding experience. This new process has replaced the ‘My Safeguarding Experience’ forms
- Safeguarding Experience Survey, capturing people’s experience of Section 42 safeguarding enquiries
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Direct Payments Experience Survey, seeking to find out more about what it’s like receiving a Direct Payment in Coventry, what’s working well. things people may like to see changed and to get involved in a peer group
For all our surveys, you can complete the survey yourself, or with the support of the worker involved.
All these surveys and links can be found on our ‘getting involved’ web page.
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Adult Social Care
Learning Disabilities Week 2026
The Learning Disability Service marked Learning Disability Week 2026 by hosting two successful events celebrating this year’s theme, “Do You See Me?”.
It focuses on ensuring that people with learning disabilities are recognised, listened to and valued.
There was a coffee morning for adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers. Plenty of opportunities were offered to socialise over coffee and cakes, creating a friendly and relaxed environment for people to meet, talk and share their experiences.
Attendees enjoyed a dance performance from students at Hereward College, which was a highlight of the morning, and heard from a young man who spoke about his experiences of living in Supported Living. He shared how he has developed independence and learned new skills with the support of staff, giving a powerful and personal insight into what good support can achieve.
Organisations such as the Carers Trust gave information about support to families and carers, while members of the Learning Disability Team also shared details about the services they provide.
Later in the week, the team hosted a professional’s fair which saw many colleagues, partner organisations and internal services attending. It brought together a wide range of stalls, giving visitors the opportunity to learn more about the support available for adults with learning disabilities and to build stronger connections across services.
Both events reflected the importance of partnership working and the value of listening to lived experience. It provided a meaningful and positive way to celebrate Learning Disability Week, highlighting the commitment across services.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the week such a success!
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Celebrating Pride at Eric Williams House
Eric Williams House celebrated Pride with inclusive activities, bringing residents and staff together to promote diversity, inclusion and meaningful connections within the home.
Colleagues at Eric Williams House are proud to champion diversity, inclusion and individuality in its day-to-day practice. The team is committed to ensuring that everyone—residents, families and colleagues—feels valued, respected and able to be themselves.
Residents and staff recently came together to mark Pride through a range of engaging activities, including a Pride-themed bingo session that encouraged conversation and shared experiences, alongside a lively Pride performance that created a positive and inclusive atmosphere within the home.
The team would like to thank performers Misfit and Ezra, who helped make the celebrations especially memorable.
Eric Williams House reflects a diverse mix of cultures, backgrounds and experiences, something the team takes great pride in. Recognising events like Pride helps reinforce shared values around inclusion, equality and person-centred care, while creating meaningful moments for those supported within the home.
Pride celebrations do not stop at Eric Williams House. Across the Council, teams are marking Pride Month and celebrating the contribution of LGBT+ colleagues and communities. The month provides an opportunity to reflect on progress towards equality, recognise ongoing challenges, and promote understanding, acceptance and inclusion.
There are also opportunities for colleagues to get involved year-round through our Pride Employee Network and Allyship Group, helping to build an inclusive workplace and support ongoing equality, diversity and inclusion work across the organisation.
We look forward to continuing to recognise and celebrate diversity throughout the year.
Colleagues complete Wolfrun to raise money for Dementia Support
On 25 April, the Older Adults and Dementia Mental Health Service in Coventry took on the Wolfrun 5K mud run to raise funds for our much-loved community dementia group.
The service is part of NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, supports people living with a dementia diagnosis and their families. We run a range of post diagnosis groups, providing a safe, welcoming space for people with dementia and their families to join. The groups offer opportunities to connect with others, share experiences, reduce isolation, and build meaningful relationships within the local community.
The group is run with dedication and compassion by our Clinical Support Worker, Annette, and Assistant Psychologist, Alice, who work hard to ensure sessions are engaging, supportive, and person-centred.
Why we’re fundraising
All money raised will go directly back into the group to purchase:
- dementia-friendly resources
- activity materials
- books and therapeutic tools
- items that promote conversation, connection, and wellbeing
These resources help make each session more enriching and accessible for everyone who attends.
The challenge
To support this brilliant service, our team has decided to get muddy and take on the Wolfrun 5K, pushing ourselves physically to support those we care for every day.
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If you have a news article or information to share such as an upcoming event or activity, or a shout out for good work, please contact Rebecca Sweeney-
Tel. 024 7697 6672 Email. Rebecca.Sweeney@coventry.gov.uk
Also, if there is anything visual like team photos or appropriate images, please send them to include on the bulletin.
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