SOMERSET County Council's social services department is the best in the South-West.

The department is the only one in the South-West to have been awarded a prestigious three star rating placing it among the top 20 in the country.

The move is a culmination of years of effort across the county to improve access to social services for Somerset's half a million residents.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) looked at key areas across the service and highlighted adult social care as serving people well with excellent capacity for improvement.