Havering Council has vowed to improve after an inspection found its care services 'require improvement'.
An assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the town hall could not show how quickly patients were receiving the support they needed, nor did it have effective oversight of safeguarding.
Council leader Keith Prince said his Reform administration was “deeply disappointed” by the outcome of the inspection and said an improvement plan would go before cabinet “as quickly as possible”.
Some patients told the commission that staff did not explain safeguarding sufficiently and poor communication led to people feeling uncertain.
Frontline staff were also said to not always understand mental health referrals.
An assessment found that just 46 per cent understood how to make referrals, which the CQC says could have resulted in some people with mental health needs not receiving “timely or appropriate support”.
Chris Badger, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said: “During our assessment of the London Borough of Havering, we found a mixed picture of people’s experience accessing adult social care.
“Adult social care was clearly a priority for the local authority, and leaders continued to prioritise it despite significant financial pressures. However, staffing pressures in some frontline teams were affecting the timeliness of support for people.”
The cost of social care is one of the biggest strains on the cash-strapped council, which says 80pc of council tax goes towards care and temporary housing.
The inspection was carried out last August, prior to Reform taking control of the council in May.
Cllr Prince, who became leader in May, said: “It is true that the council faces a significant financial challenge, together with ballooning demand for social care and a continuous lack of government funding."
He said "inadequate" investment previously had left residents "with a below-par experience".
The council leaded added: "Let me reassure those residents: this changes, right now.
“While the overall outcome is not up to scratch, I am pleased to say that some areas of good practice were identified.
"We are determined to build on these and make them even better as the service goes through its wider improvement journey."
Despite the concerns, CQC found that Havering “had a stable, visible and experienced leadership team”.
Staff consistently described leaders as “approachable and supportive” and they valued opportunities to engage directly with senior leaders, the report added.
They also had access to a “comprehensive learning and development offer” through a social care academy, including apprenticeships, support for newly qualified social workers and ongoing professional development.
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