Adult Social Care Insights, Governance & Quality Improvement

A service can improve quickly when everyone is watching. The harder test is whether those changes last once the extra scrutiny, support and pressure begin to step back. This is a reflection on what sustainable improvement really looks like and a lesson I learned the hard way.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the 30 September Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag deadline, the Independent Commission’s new Public Panel on Care, and forthcoming national adult social care activity and finance data. Practical updates for providers, with the key actions and dates leaders need to have on their radar.

Episode 2 of Beyond the Audit explores how poor practice can gradually become normalised through shortcuts, workarounds and small compromises and why good governance means understanding what actually happens when things get busy.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the new MHRA hoist and sling safety alert, adult social care transformation funding, the 2026 workforce survey and the latest ADASS funding position, with practical actions for providers.

Moving to digital care records can improve care planning, oversight and access to information, but technology won’t fix poor records or weak governance. Using real CQC findings, I look at what can go right, what can go wrong and what providers should check before and after go-live.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the Health Bill’s move to the House of Lords, recent CQC inspection findings and the Government’s new AI Risk Management Toolkit, with practical actions for managers and senior leaders across older people’s services.

What happens when managing a difficult situation turns into treating someone badly? A look at suspension, isolation, workplace culture and the impact on staff, residents and families.

Issue 010 | 3 September 2026 A weekly briefing highlighting significant developments affecting leaders of adult social care services for older people in England, with a focus on what providers need to know and what they should be considering in practice. This Week’s Headline DBS Publishes New Eligibility Guidance for Adult Social Care Roles The Disclosure and Barring Service published new eligibility guidance on 1 September 2026, alongside an updated version of its guidance s

How does poor practice become “just how we do things here”? A look at how everyday pressures, shortcuts and workplace culture can gradually shape care, and why good governance needs to spot the patterns before they become the norm.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the new UKHSA infection resource for adult social care, the next stage of the Fair Pay Agreement and the latest developments around hospital discharge. Practical actions and considerations for care home leaders.

Saying sorry after something has gone wrong does not necessarily mean admitting fault. This article explores Duty of Candour, why apologies cause so much uncertainty, and how we can balance regulation, professional judgement and the very human need to acknowledge what someone has experienced.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at NICE’s new consultation on aggressive behaviour in people receiving NHS or social care, alongside CQC’s latest local authority assessments. Key themes include restrictive practice, risk management, safe transitions, system pressures and what these developments mean in practice for care-home leaders.

When too much knowledge, judgement and follow-through sits with one person, a service can look strong while still being surprisingly fragile. Succession planning is not just about who might take over next; it is about developing people, sharing judgement and building enough leadership depth before you actually need it.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at the practical implications of hot weather for care home leaders, alongside forthcoming changes to NHS hospital discharge reporting. A concise update on resident risk, safe admissions and the key actions providers should be considering

What happens in the first 24 hours after a significant incident can shape everything that follows. This article explores leadership, governance, Duty of Candour and why good organisations put people first when it matters most.

Do your audits provide assurance, or simply reassurance? In the first episode of Beyond the Audit, Cheryl Baird explores the difference between governance and assurance, why completed audits don't always mean improved care, and the questions every leader should be asking to understand what's really happening within their organisation