Lincolnshire residents await adult care improvements

AtheneNet | 13 August 2026

People who use adult care services in Lincolnshire, along with unpaid carers and families, are likely to see continued changes as the county council responds to a new ‘requires improvement’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The rating is Lincolnshire County Council’s first full assessment under the CQC’s local-authority inspection approach, introduced in 2024. Inspectors assessed nine areas of the council’s adult care responsibilities and found solid foundations, while identifying areas where services need to improve.

CQC assessment sets out areas for improvement

The CQC’s assessment reflects the position when inspectors visited in December. The council said the report recognises that action to improve adult care services was already under way before that visit.

An overall ‘requires improvement’ rating does not mean that every part of a service is inadequate. In this case, the council said the report recognised strong partnership working, sound safeguarding arrangements and a commitment to learning and improvement.

The assessment also noted positive work intended to help people build on their strengths and remain independent for as long as possible. That matters for residents who draw on council-arranged care, as well as relatives and unpaid carers involved in planning support.

Support at home and supported living remain central

Lincolnshire County Council says it has strengthened senior leadership and introduced its first wide-ranging Adult Social Care Strategy. Its improvement programme includes modernising services, expanding supported living opportunities and making greater use of technology to help people remain independent for longer.

Cllr Steve Clegg, the council’s executive councillor for adult care and health, said the administration had acted because it saw significant scope for improvement in adult care services.

He said the council’s aim was to ensure people receive the right support at the right time and can live the lives they want to lead. The programme is therefore focused on both the quality and consistency of services, rather than a single immediate change for residents.

Rural pressures form part of the council’s response

Martin Samuels, executive director for adult care and community wellbeing, said delivering services across a large rural county with an ageing population brings particular challenges.

He said the council had already been addressing specific aspects of its services before the inspection, and that the latest report highlighted both the impact of action already taken and the steps still in hand.

The council also pointed to a 2023 CQC pilot assessment, in which Lincolnshire helped test early inspection arrangements. It said the CQC has since redesigned its methodology, meaning the pilot findings and the new rating should not be treated as directly comparable.

Formal review request and continuing programme

Lincolnshire County Council has requested a formal review of elements of the CQC report because it has concerns about how some aspects of performance were assessed. The council has not said which elements are subject to that request.

For residents, the immediate position is that the council remains responsible for adult care services while continuing its improvement programme. The CQC report provides the formal benchmark against which progress will be judged, while the council says it will keep strengthening the quality, consistency and impact of support across Lincolnshire.

The full local-authority assessment report is available through the Care Quality Commission’s local authority assessment reports service.

Source: Lincolnshire County Council