A postcode lottery has emerged in Sussex when it comes to care for the elderly and vulnerable.

A report published today by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has given Brighton and Hove City Council a maximum three star rating for the service it provides for adults needing care and support.

The report said the council was good at delivering services such as providing intermediate care that avoids admission to hospital, support for carers and homecare services that help people remain in their own homes.

It also said its capacity to improve was excellent.

West Sussex County Council was also ranked good for the services it provides and its capacity to improve was promising, leading to it getting a two star rating.

East Sussex County Council was given a one star rating with some of its services said to be adequate but its capacity to improve uncertain.

All three councils were given the same rating as last year.

In East Sussex the commission said the council's adult social care service had comprehensive and coherent strategies, business and action plans which were backed up by committed leadership but there was still room for improvement.

The council said it had been concentrating first on getting the basics right which meant it had not yet delivered the increase in performance required to improve the lives of all vulnerable people in East Sussex.

Director of adult social care Keith Hinkley at East Sussex County Council said: "I'd agree with CSCI that our performance is not yet up to scratch. This past year has been about laying strong foundations for the future.

"At the point of the CSCI inspection, we were one year into a three year programme to drive up standards.

"We'd taken a hard look at our services and introduced vital changes. Staff across the department responded to the challenge, in particular working to tough new targets.

"Now, thanks to their commitment and dedication, we are on track for significant improvements."

County councillor responsible for adult social care, Bill Bentley, said: "Our services must be sustainable in the long-term.

"As many people know, East Sussex already has the highest percentage of people over 85 in England and Wales and this number is rising fast. Twenty years from now, demand for our services will have grown dramatically.

"In light of this challenge, we've had to bring in important changes to the way we work. That's why we've spent this past year laying firm foundations for the future development of our services.

"I don't want to underestimate the scale of improvements needed as considerable work remains to be done as CSCI point out.

"However we are on target to radically turn around the performance of adult social care over the next two years."

CSCI South East region director Amanda Sherlock said: "Councils in the South East face extremely challenging financial pressures and major changes in health services that impact on their social care services.

"The councils demonstrating the most improvement are listening to what people say about their needs and aspirations and are then personalising their services to meet those individual needs.

"Even the one-star authorities have recognised that they have to adapt and modernise their social care services and are working with us to improve the experiences of individuals who are using those services.

"People in the South East can be confident that their needs and aspirations are being listened to by councils, and those that are excellent authorities are translating this into every-day experiences that people can be pleased to receive."

Nationally, 28 councils were awarded one star, 74 were given two and 48 had three.

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