Hampshire County Council has become the first such authority in the country to be awarded an “excellent” rating for its social care by the Audit Commission.

The independent watchdog, in discussion with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation and the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate, gave the council a three-star rating, the highest possible score.

Two northern metropolitan councils and one London borough have achieved the rating for their Supporting People initiatives, but the Hampshire authority has become the first county council to achieve the standard.

Launched on April 1st 2003, the nationwide funding and planning regime is designed to deliver housing support to vulnerable members of local societies.

On the south coast, community leaders were found by the Audit Commission to have led the programme with strong leadership, addressing diverse needs, engaging actively with service providers to offer an effective service that gives maximum value for money.

“The outcome of this inspection is significant as Hampshire is the first county to receive an excellent rating for its management of the Supporting People programme,” said Patrick Mooney, head of housing for the south region at the Audit Commission.

“Hampshire and its partners in the primary care trust, district councils and probation service have made excellent progress in re-shaping local services to address shared priorities, with many decisions taken at district level.

“The approach to service reviews and strategic reviews has been instrumental in releasing resources to commission new services and extend choice for service users,” he added.

The watchdog also concluded that the county council’s Supporting People scheme has “excellent” prospects for future improvement.

© Adfero Ltd