Their report, published today (Friday 26 June, 2026), highlights clear strengths and positive developments across services in the city, with the specific inspection areas of Supporting people to live healthier lives; Partnerships and communities; Safeguarding; Governance, management and sustainability; and Learning, improvement and innovation all rated Good.
Inspectors found many positive experiences of adult social care in Wolverhampton, with people frequently describing strong relationships with staff and support that is timely and tailored to their needs. People generally felt that staff worked in a person centred, strengths based way, helping to ‘build trust and tailor care to individual needs’. People also felt involved in their assessments and valued the time taken to understand what matters to them.
People using services highlighted ‘positive outcomes from reablement and intermediate care’, including improved independence and better health following hospital discharge. The opportunity to use direct payments was also appreciated by many, enabling people to personalise their care and live more independently.
There was positive recognition for the carers team, and people’s experiences of safeguarding were also encouraging, with strong multi agency collaboration and effective sharing of learning. People said they felt ‘listened to and supported during enquiries’ by ‘respectful and responsive’ staff.
The council demonstrated a ‘strong commitment to partnership working’, particularly through the OneWolverhampton place based partnership, which has brought organisations together to deliver shared priorities, including integrated neighbourhood teams, prevention, and digital care. Staff and partners described mature and respectful relationships, with joint working making a real difference to people’s outcomes.
The council has also made significant progress through its transformation programme, embedding a strengths based approach, redesigning the front door service and introducing regular reviews to ensure support remains appropriate over time. Staff reported a positive culture of learning and reflection, supported by training, supervision and opportunities to provide feedback.
There have been tangible reductions in waiting times for Care Act assessments, demonstrating a clear focus on improving access to support. Inspectors also found that leadership and governance provide a ‘solid foundation for ongoing progress’, with stability in leadership, a clear vision for transformation and a strong focus on partnership working supporting continued improvement and better outcomes for people across Wolverhampton.
Councillor Linda Leach, Cabinet Member for Adults, said: “We are really pleased that the Care Quality Commission has recognised the strength of our adult social care services and the dedication of our staff and partners. It is especially encouraging to hear positive feedback from people who use our services about the care and support they receive.
“We know the difference that good quality, person centred care can make, whether that is helping someone regain their independence after a stay in hospital or supporting them to live well at home.
“At the same time, we are clear that we can and must continue to improve. We have already identified where we need to go further and are taking action to strengthen support, improve access and ensure everyone receives consistent, high quality care. This report gives us a strong foundation to build on as we continue that work.”
Chris Badger, the Care Quality Commission’s Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, said: “During our assessment at the City of Wolverhampton Council, we found a local authority working in partnership to meet people’s individual needs.
“We found leaders had embedded a positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. They proactively gathered and used feedback from people who use services, carers, staff and partners to identify learning opportunities and improve services, and work was ongoing to strengthen this further. They also supported staff to access learning and support and promoted career progression opportunities helping to create a skilled workforce and a great foundation on which to make changes.
“Leaders and staff at Wolverhampton should be pleased with the positive findings in this report. They are aware of areas where improvements are needed and already had many plans in place to address these. We look forward to seeing how these plans progress.”
