The Care Quality Commission (CQC) praised the council for its ‘considerable progress’
A council’s adult social care delivery has made a “significant improvement” in its Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating. Peterborough City Council has been rated as ‘good’, with a 70 percent rating overall from CQC for its adult social care delivery.
CQC carried out a three-day inspection in summer 2025. With the rating given, it means the council is meeting the statutory duties under the Care Act 2014.
A spokesperson for the council said it is a “significant improvement” for the council. Councillor Neil Boyce, cabinet member for adult social care said: “The achievement of a good rating so shortly after the service had made the major move back to a Peterborough only team is a real achievement.
“It reflects the hard work of the adult workforce to ensure that we deliver the right outcomes for the people of Peterborough. It also shows that we have the right leadership in place to bring about the best results for those we serve.
“Our efforts to work with partners, our good safeguarding result and the fact that we have embraced digital transformation has particularly impressed both me and the inspectors. Notable achievements include our Hey Geraldine chatbot which saves staff time identifying and sourcing Technology Enabled Care, using Magic Notes to ensure social workers have their focus on residents rather than taking notes and our Bridget app which is now used to support carers.”
The city council moved away from working with Cambridgeshire County Council in August 2023 in running the adult social care. As a result, Peterborough City Council had to develop new teams and recruit to posts previously held by the county council.
CQC said that over the 18 months since the move, the council had made “considerable progress in better understanding the needs of people in Peterborough”. It added that the authority “recognised they still have work to do”, but it was “embedding new ways of working that will have a positive impact on the people of Peterborough”.
Inspectors praised the “effort” to improve waiting lists, with no one having to wait over the authority’s targeted two months. On talking to people about their experiences with the council, people said the authority “communicated effectively”.
There were also “good levels of satisfaction from people and unpaid carers” who said they had a “positive experience” with the council. However, inspectors found that people with sensory impairments said they had “limited access to appropriate support and services”.
CQC also recognised the council had placed “emphasis on co-production”, with five partnership boards in operation who worked with the internal communities team.
Stephen Taylor, the council’s Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Commissioning said: “I am absolutely delighted that our service has received a good rating, this is testament to the hard work of our dedicated teams and I would like to thank everyone involved for their outstanding efforts.
“I am particularly proud of the passion and determination of our staff to drive forward our improvements. However, we will not rest on our laurels and are fully committed to continuing to work to improve outcomes for adults in care across Peterborough.”
