The Care Quality Commission (CQC) praised Camden Council for its “exceptional levels of service” in meeting adult social care and support responsibilities under the Care Act 2014.
The health watchdog assessed nine areas across four themes to determine the council’s outstanding rating.
The council scored four out of four in five areas, including equity in experience and outcomes, partnership and communities, and governance, management and sustainability.
James Bullion, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “We were very impressed to see the exceptional levels of service being provided by the London Borough of Camden.
“Their clear commitment to equity, making sure everyone was able to access services in a way that suited their needs, and reduce inequalities was at the heart of everything they were doing.”
The CQC noted the absence of waiting lists across essential services, including hospital discharge, care placements, social care, and safeguarding assessments.
The council’s commitment to equity was evident in its vision, strategy, and workplace culture, with leaders actively sharing decision-making power with the communities they served.
The authority ensured inclusive and accessible communications, with staff trained in using easy-read formats, British Sign Language, and talking mats.
Despite the positive assessment, the CQC acknowledged the need for improvement in some areas, particularly in ensuring more family carers are satisfied with services.
The assessment team found that only 27.7 per cent of carers reported satisfaction with social services, slightly lower than the national average of 36.83 per cent.
Mr Bullion added: “Overall, Camden should be extremely proud of this assessment and the outstanding care they’re providing to people.
“Other local authorities should look at this report to see if there’s anything they can learn.”
Camden is an inner north London borough with a population of 210,100.
It is one of the country’s most unequal boroughs, with highly affluent areas and significant areas of deprivation.
The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived parts of the local authority is very high, at 20 years.
