Optalis and The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead ranks top nationally for quality of life among adults receiving social care

Residents supported by adult social care in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have high satisfaction levels with the support they receive – and the area is also ranked top nationally for quality of life related to social care.

This data has been released as part of the annual Adult Social Care Outcome Framework (ASCOF), which uses satisfaction and performance data to rank the 150 local authorities which provide social care in England on how well they deliver to achieve the outcomes that matter most to people.

Residents who are supported by adult social care services in the Royal Borough receive support from a range of providers funded by the council, including Optalis, the borough’s adult social care partner which the council co-owns with Wokingham Borough Council.

In addition to ranking top nationally for social care-related quality of life, the Royal Borough is ranked fourth nationally for people’s overall satisfaction with their care and support.

The borough also ranked second nationally for the proportion of adults with learning disabilities in paid employment, and third nationally for residents feeling safe. The proportion of adults with learning disabilities in paid employment in the Royal Borough are ranked second nationally, with Wokingham, who also have services provided by Optalis, being ranked first.

The data shows a trend of year-on-year growing satisfaction in some key areas, including social care-related quality of life and people having control over their daily lives, while also providing a good starting point for ongoing improvement, with work already underway in the face of ongoing demand and cost pressures.

The rankings include feedback from an independent survey undertaken annually in the Royal Borough. A random selection of adults who had contact in the last 12 months with Optalis, or a contracted social care provider, were invited to participate. More than 275 borough residents responded to the survey, including residents with learning disabilities, those living in care homes and residents in the community.

Councillor Catherine del Campo, Cabinet member for adults, health and housing services, said: 

“We take great pride in our work through Optalis and our other providers, continuing to deliver quality services for our most vulnerable residents in our communities – people’s parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and neighbours.

“These results highlight the great work being done by our social care teams and our contracted providers across the borough and the quality service that they provide for residents, to help people live more independent and fulfilled lives and achieve their life goals.

“We’re proud to be ranked first in ‘quality of life’, and the overall positive trend in these results. As social care services continue to come under pressure, these results are also an opportunity to reflect on areas of improvement as well as success, with work already underway to continue to improve the services that are provided in collaboration with our health, social care and community partners.”

David Birch, Chief Executive Officer at Optalis, said: 

“This an exceptional set of results and is a huge tribute to the commitment, professionalism, determination and compassion that our teams bring to support our residents across Maidenhead, Windsor and Ascot every day. 

I would personally like to thank them for doing such an amazing job, in circumstances which are frequently challenging. I am truly proud to be part of such an inspiring group of people who put our residents first all the time.”