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Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has been given the same rating for social services by official inspector the Care Quality Commission as last October.
Then it was named a ‘priority for improvement council’ by the Government.
The new scores, for the 12 months to April 2010, mean the council is one of only seven authorities in the UK to be rated adequate. None were rated poor.
The council said an advisor sent to Solihull from the Department of Health was having an impact on the service.
It said the CQC said “there are early indications that outcomes are beginning to improve as a result of the efforts to improve”.
Yet the council warned of “budget pressures” on the service amid a squeeze on public spending.
It says current problems include not assessing people quickly enough, not helping enough to live at home and not getting enough home adaptions such as hand rails delivered in seven working days.
And the council admits a freeze on recruitment will hit how quickly assessments are carried out.
It says: “Sickness levels and vacancy factors remain and will continue to have an adverse impact on performance.”
The council is responsible for social care but it is managed and provided by Solihull NHS Care Trust.
But this agreement will cease from April 1, when social workers will again be managed and work for the council.
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