This page provides an overview of social care in Lambeth, along with key metrics that could affect social care. Understanding these metrics is important because they help contextualise the challenges with social care provision in each local authority. These statistics are important to keep in mind when reviewing the other pages.
Why are these metrics important? Population size and density can affect the demand for social care services. For example, if a local authority has a high population (relative to other areas), it may need to allocate more resources to meet care needs. Similarly, areas with high population density may require more care services due to the increased number of people living in close proximity. Inversely, areas with a low population density may have fewer care needs, but residents may face challenges accessing services due to the distance between them. Lastly, people in rural areas might live further away from services, which can impact their ability to access care, or make it more expensive to provide.
Understanding these metrics can help local authorities plan and allocate resources effectively.
Deprivation decile is a measure of the level of deprivation in a local authority. It is calculated by ranking areas in England from 1 (most deprived) to 10 (least deprived) based on factors such as income, employment, education, and health. A higher decile indicates lower levels of deprivation, while a lower decile suggests higher levels of deprivation. Understanding deprivation levels can help local authorities identify areas that may require additional support and resources to address social care needs.
Deprivation rank is a measure of the relative deprivation of a local authority compared to other areas in England. It is calculated by ranking areas from 1 (most deprived) to 32,844 (least deprived) Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOA), which can be thought of as “small areas”. This rank is based on factors such as income, employment, education, and health. A lower rank indicates higher levels of deprivation, while a higher rank suggests lower levels of deprivation. Understanding deprivation ranks can help local authorities identify areas that may require additional support and resources to address social care needs.
Many people want care, some receive care, but a significant number go without. What types of care are being requested? What care is actually provided? This section explores the gap between need and provision, the types of care available, and how our own data contributes to the understanding of these challenges.
Access Social Care and other Helplines providers are working to bridge this gap by providing free legal support to people who are struggling to access social care services. This first chart illustrates the types of calls we are getting.
The rest of this page distingushes between the different types of care provided to Working Age People and Older People, as we are able to disaggregate at a greater level of granularity.
Note: these values are a work in progress… expect these numbers to go up
This plot shows a breakdown of the types of requests for assistance received by Access Social Care and other helplines. Understanding the themes of these calls can identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of calls related to housing may indicate a need for more affordable housing options, while a high number of calls related to social care assessments may suggest a need for improved access to care services. The request types are:
Assessments: An assessment is a meeting or form to find out what help someone needs with daily tasks.
Care Plan: A care plan is a written agreement that lists the support you’ll get and who to contact if things change.
Carers: Carers are people who help a disabled or ill person with daily tasks.
Charging: Charging refers to checking if you can afford to pay for some of your care based on your savings.
Information Seeking: Information seeking means getting advice about available care options.
Legal Issues and Complaints: Legal issues and complaints involve reporting problems with your care to the council or an ombudsman.
Safeguarding: Safeguarding is protecting people from abuse or neglect.
Of course, high numbers also mean that people know where to call, and this number can be impacted by advocacy efforts. As a counterpoint, areas with low numbers may indicate a lack of awareness of available services or a need for more outreach to connect people with support.
To protect privacy, our minimum bin size is 5, which means that if we field 1-5 queries on a topic, we display 5.
Are you a helpline and would like to combine data resources? Let us know!
Access Social Care casework, AccessAva data, and helpline partner submissions
Working Age People
Knowing how many people are requesting social care, how many people are recieving care and what percent of people are disabled helps understand need and social care provision at a top level. For example, a high number of people requesting care may indicate a need for additional resources or services, while a low number of people receiving care may suggest a gap in service provision. Understanding these metrics can help identify areas where additional support may be needed.
MW was diagnosed with Functional Chronic Pain, she cannot walk without support, she holds on to her furniture to move around the house. She uses a wheelchair, especially when she goes out, with support from friends and family. She lives on second floor with 5 flights because of the way the building is designed and there is no lift. She never goes out because of the difficulties she experiences with the stairs. She needs help with cooking, cleaning, shopping and showering. She relies on friends and her mum who has knee replacement.
She was referred by the Social Prescriber who referred her onto also referred her to Croydon Adult Support, they told her they are short of staff to allocate her a social worker, so she was placed on a long waiting list. MW case still hadn’t progressed until the Social Prescriber, who had been recently trained on the Care Act, referred her to Access Social Care’s free legal Chatbot letter clinic.
The legal clinic volunteer completed a letter to Croydon Council with MW within a week which was sent to Adult Social Services. Access Social Care then called her after two weeks to complete a follow up survey. MW informed them that she had had an assessment and was waiting to hear back from Croydon following the panel meeting. Social Services has now done the assessment after which the panel offered MW 9 hours of social care support.
This case study is based on real data from Croydon. Have a story to tell? Let us know, and we might display it here!
This plot shows the types of care provided to working-age people in Lambeth. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The age-standardised share of residents who report a disability is 17 per cent. The England average is 17.6 per cent. This means the overall prevalence in Lambeth is close to the national picture, even though the borough is very different in shape and size. Lambeth is small, very dense (11,839 people per km²) and more deprived than most areas. Deprivation can raise the risk of poor health, so the fact that disability is only slightly below the average may hide higher need once the young, mobile population is taken into account.
In 2024 there were 2,930 requests for care from working-age adults. This equals 928 requests per 100,000 residents and is lower than the national rate of 1,143. Two factors may explain the gap. First, Lambeth’s population is young and moves often, so some people may not know how to approach local services. Second, the high share of rented homes and the cost of living may discourage early contact with statutory services. Lower request levels, however, do not mean lower need, as the next figures show.
Despite fewer requests, 1,955 adults aged 18–64 received long-term support in 2024. At 619 people per 100,000, this is well above the England figure of 533. In other words, once a person in Lambeth asks for help, they are more likely to meet the eligibility test and enter long-term care. This can point to two things. First, residents may delay asking until their need is clear and substantial. Second, social work teams may be effective at turning assessments into funded packages.
The pattern of provision is distinctive. Nursing placements (19 per 100,000) and residential placements (82 per 100,000) are both higher than the respective national means of 14 and 61. This suggests a group with complex or unstable conditions, perhaps linked to mental health, substance misuse or learning disability, issues often amplified by urban deprivation.
The largest group, 1,265 people, receive community care through a council-managed personal budget. At 401 per 100,000 this is 50 per cent above the England rate. Direct payments that the person manages alone are less common (79 per 100,000 against 122 nationally), and purely commissioned community support is rare (2 per 100,000 against 58). Lambeth therefore favours budgets held by the council. This may reflect risk management concerns or low confidence among residents in taking on employer duties. It could also stem from language barriers or high churn in the housing market, both of which make self-managed care harder.
In 2025 small numbers of disabled residents asked for help with assessments, charging or legal matters. The per-capita rates are close to, or a little below, national figures. Requests linked to information seeking are slightly higher (2.85 per 100,000 versus 2.6). Given Lambeth’s young, diverse population, demand for clear information is likely to grow, especially among carers and new migrants.
Lambeth’s disabled population is not larger than average, yet people who do seek help often need intensive, council-managed support. High density, zero rural space and above-average deprivation place extra pressure on housing, mental health and substance misuse services. Work to promote early contact with social care, expand the use of direct payments and strengthen community networks could reduce reliance on high-cost nursing and residential placements. Better signposting, especially in plain English and community languages, may also raise timely requests and prevent crisis admissions.
✨ ✅ ❌Older People
Just like with Working Age people, knowing how many older people are requesting social care, how many people are recieving care and what percent of the population is 65+ helps understand need and social care provision at a top level.
Jamaican female, blind and in her 40s. She was in an emergency Bed & Breakfast with her Niece, who acts as her unofficial carer, she is unable to work but would like to go to University. She is receiving PIP but not the Daily Living Allowance which she applied for in June 2021. She is vulnerable and has a history of self harm so was assigned a rehab Support Worker. Vanessa supported her using the Chatbot to chase up her PIP Daily Living allowance application, after waiting for several months and they received a reply within a week but was awarded the lower rate.
Another Chatbot letter was sent to request an urgent assessment due to her vulnerability and this was action quickly by the LA. Vanessa also supported her to use the chatbot and ask the Social worker to be moved to a place that supports her needs and rights. As she was having to use a shared bathroom, toilet and kitchen in a place with drug/alcohol abusers and being blind with no carer, this left her vulnerable. The Chatbot was used again to raise this issue and after a few weeks she was successfully moved to a private property in another area.
This case study is based on real data from Croydon. Have a story to tell? Let us know, and we might display it here!
As above, it is important to see what type of care older people are being provided because it can help explain where additional work is needed.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The share of residents aged 65 and over in Lambeth rose from 8.0 % in 2019 to 9.2 % in 2023. The rise is steady but slow, and the level is still only about half of the England average, which stayed close to 18 – 19 %. Lambeth therefore remains a very young borough. The overall population has also fallen, from 330,000 in 2019 to 316,000 in 2023, while staying extremely dense at more than 11,800 people per square kilometre. These facts shape service demand: there are fewer older residents, but they live in crowded, highly urban, and quite deprived surroundings (average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4, well below the national midpoint of 6).
In 2024, 3,775 people aged 65+ asked the council for adult social care help. This equals 1,196 requests per 100,000 older residents, about half the national rate of 2,438. Two factors may lie behind the low figure. First, the local older population is relatively young in old-age terms, with fewer residents over 85, so needs may not yet be acute. Second, some residents may find it hard to approach the council: Lambeth’s history of deprivation, high housing turnover, and many private renters can weaken links with services.
Despite fewer requests, 3,035 older residents were in long-term care during 2024, very close to the England rate once population size is considered (961 per 100,000 in Lambeth, 1,003 nationally). This suggests that when people do come forward their needs are often serious enough to meet the eligibility threshold. It may also mean the council’s gatekeeping is strict at the first contact stage yet responsive once a need is proven.
Nursing home use is higher than average at 152 per 100,000 compared with 122 nationally. Residential care without nursing is much lower (73 per 100,000 versus 250). A plausible reading is that local care-home beds are scarce and reserved for the frailest citizens; others remain at home with support. Community support organised and paid for by the council (681 per 100,000) is well above the England mean of 508, while wholly self-directed budgets are lower. Deprivation can explain this pattern: older residents may lack savings or family carers and therefore rely on council-commissioned help, but the borough’s direct-payment culture is weaker.
Early figures for 2025 show small numbers of older residents seeking advice on legal issues, charging, or safeguarding. Rates per 100,000 broadly mirror national norms, so there is no sign of hidden abuse or systemic barriers, yet the absolute numbers are modest. As the older population grows, demand for such support may rise quickly; current low caseloads should not lead to under-investment.
Pressure on services is still lighter than in most areas, but the rising proportion of older residents, together with high deprivation, points to future growth in complex need. The council’s strategy of strong community provision and tight use of care-home beds fits the borough’s dense, urban setting. However, work is needed to widen access to direct payments and to make first-contact channels easier, so that unmet need does not build up. Long-term planning should also address the shortage of standard residential care and explore age-friendly housing, as the current nursing-heavy model may prove expensive as numbers climb.
✨ ✅ ❌When government support falls short, unpaid carers step in to provide care. However, many struggle with burnout, financial pressure, lack of social contact, and a lack of support. This section explores the number of unpaid carers, their increasing workload, and what forms of support are available.
Carers play a vital role in supporting vulnerable adults, often stepping in to provide care when professional services are unavailable or insufficient. The percentage of carers receiving direct payments highlights financial empowerment, the number of carers accessing services reflects local authority outreach, and the number turning to charities underscores unmet needs. Together, these data points reveal systemic strengths and weaknesses: low direct payment uptake may push carers toward charities, while effective services can reduce dependence on charitable support. Understanding these metrics enables targeted interventions to ensure carers receive the recognition and resources they deserve.
Unpaid carers play a crucial role in supporting vulnerable adults, often stepping in to provide care when professional services are unavailable or insufficient. Understanding the number of unpaid carers in a local authority can be complicated. On the one hand, a relatively high proportion might be indicative of not enough being done by the local authority, and/or a strong community. On the other hand, a relatively lower number can mean good service provision, lower need, lower availability to look after family, or a problem with reporting.
Still, understanding the number of unpaid carers is a baseline number that must be considered.
NOMIS NM_2213_1
These values are widely considered to be an underestimate. See this report from Carers UK for more information.
August 2021 - Patient with dementia who lives in a shared lives setting. Carer had been requesting respite from the council since September 2020. Croydon Social Prescriber helped with a referral to the local authority in March 2021. Assessment conducted, with the promise they would come back with support, which did not happen. 25 August, social prescriber used the chatbot to find the right legal wording for the situation. The email was sent at 4.52pm that day. At 5.12pm the council contacted the carer to discuss the respite. This was the impact of one letter, addressed to a senior team.
This case study is based on real data from Croydon. Have a story to tell? Let us know, and we might display it here!
Social contact is important for carers’ well-being, as it can help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Understanding the level of social contact that carers have can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a low level of social contact may indicate a need for more social activities or support groups for carers, while a high level of social contact may suggest that carers have a strong support network.
Survey of Adult Carers in England (SACE) - question 11
The type of support available to carers can vary significantly, impacting their ability to provide care effectively. Understanding the types of support available can help identify areas where additional resources may be needed. For example, a high number of carers receiving respite care may indicate a need for more support with caregiving responsibilities, while a low number of carers receiving financial support may suggest a need for additional financial assistance.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T47
Access to information is crucial for carers to navigate the social care system effectively. Understanding how easy it is for carers to get information can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of carers finding it difficult to get information may indicate a need for improved communication and support services, while a low number of carers finding it difficult to get information may suggest that existing services are effective.
Would you like social care information? Try our Chatbot!
Survey of Adult Carers in England (SACE) - question 17
Note: these values are a work in progress… expect these numbers to go up
Access Social Care and other Helplines help people with information, advice, and support related to social care. Understanding the types of calls received by carers can highlight areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of calls related to financial support may indicate a need for more financial assistance for carers, while a high number of calls related to respite care may suggest a need for additional support with caregiving responsibilities.
It is important to note that, just as in the previous section, low numbers of requests might indicate that people don’t know where to get help, don’t feel they can get (or deserve) help, or other outreach problems. This is particularly important because we often work with people where the role of a carer is not recognised, or where the carer themselves does not recognise their role.
Access Social Care casework, AccessAva data, and helpline partner submissions
In 2021 Lambeth had about 5,929 unpaid carers for every 100,000 residents. Applied to the mid-year population of 317,691, this is roughly 19,000 people. The England rate was higher, at 8,204 per 100,000. A lower carer rate is not always good or bad by itself. Lambeth is young, very urban and has dense housing (11,839 residents per km²). Fewer older residents and smaller homes can mean fewer people who need daily care at home, so the pool of carers is naturally smaller. It can also signal that some carers are not coming forward, perhaps because of language, cultural views on caring, or a wish to keep formal services at arm’s length. High deprivation (mean decile 3.95) may add to this under-recording, as people with money worries often overlook carer registration.
In the 2024 survey 36.5 % of Lambeth carers said they had as much social contact as they wanted, well above the national figure of 29.3 %. Living in a busy inner-city borough can help. Shops, cafés, faith groups and transport are close by, so carers need not travel far to see friends. Some community projects funded through deprivation grants may also give carers places to meet. Good social contact is important: it lowers stress and keeps carers healthy enough to go on supporting their family members.
Only 53.4 % felt it was easy to get information about support, below the England average of 59.3 %. In a service-rich area this may sound surprising, yet choice can confuse. Different council teams, NHS trusts and many charities all give advice, and websites may not speak clearly to people with lower digital skills. The data suggest Lambeth should invest in simple signposting and in face-to-face advice for those who are less confident online.
Lambeth issues direct payments to carers at 174.2 per 100,000 people, higher than the national rate of 149.9. Around 550 carers therefore manage their own budget, which fits the borough’s personalised care strategy. By contrast, only 212.2 per 100,000 (about 670 carers) received one-off information or advice, far below the England norm of 338.7. Respite given through support to the cared-for person is very low at 20.6 per 100,000 (about 65 cases) compared with 70.0 nationally. Limited respite may reflect scarce suitable accommodation in a densely built area or tight council budgets. Low take-up can also feed the lower carer count, as families who do not get a break may disengage from formal monitoring.
Lambeth’s carers benefit from strong local networks, yet many still struggle to navigate the system. The council could:
• streamline advice channels so people need speak to only one front door;
• expand respite offers, perhaps by block-booking beds in neighbouring boroughs where space is cheaper; and
• continue to promote direct payments while checking that carers with low income or limited English can use them confidently.
Doing so should keep carers healthy, maintain the current high level of social contact, and ensure that hidden carers in deprived communities are brought into view.
✨ ✅ ❌Care providers are essential for delivering social care services, including home care agencies and care homes. The quality of care they provide can vary significantly, impacting the well-being of service users. This section examines the number and types of care providers, their quality ratings, and some of the difficulties of maintaining high standards. Understanding these metrics is crucial for ensuring that vulnerable individuals receive high-quality care.
The number and types of care providers in a local authority can impact the availability and quality of social care services. Understanding the distribution of care providers directly influences people’s ability to get the care they need.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates care providers based on their quality of care, safety, and effectiveness. Understanding the quality ratings of care providers can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of care providers with low ratings may indicate a need for improved training and support, while a high number of care providers with high ratings may suggest that existing services are effective.
Framework rates are the agreed prices that local authorities pay care providers for social care services, such as home care and residential care. These rates are crucial because they determine the affordability, availability, and quality of care in a city. If rates are too low, providers may struggle to sustain services, leading to workforce shortages, poor care quality, and limited access for those relying on council-funded care.
Understanding framework rates helps assess whether local authorities are adequately funding social care, ensuring fair pay for care workers, and maintaining a sustainable care market that meets residents’ needs.
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Several providers are finding it increasingly difficult to stay in business, and sometimes several providers collapse at once. For example, when pay rises are approved without consultation and effective immediately, providers may not be able to afford to pay their staff. This can cause a chain-effect which leads to collapse in the market, and a lack of care for those who need it.
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Workforce turnover rate is a measure of the number of staff leaving a care provider over a specific period. High turnover rates can indicate issues with staff retention, such as low pay, poor working conditions, or lack of training and support. Understanding workforce turnover rates can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed to improve staff retention and ensure high-quality care services.
NOTE: This data series is based on regional data
Staff retention is crucial for maintaining high-quality care services. Understanding the challenges faced by care providers in retaining staff can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of care providers struggling to retain staff may indicate a need for improved training and support, while a low number of care providers facing retention challenges may suggest that existing services are effective.
This dataset describes the results of a survey asking care providers about their challenges in retaining staff.
NOTE: This data series is based on regional data
Workforce_survey_data_tables, Tab 6_2
Vacancy rate is a measure of the number of unfilled positions within a care provider over a specific period. High vacancy rates can indicate issues with staff recruitment, such as low pay, poor working conditions, or lack of training and support. Understanding vacancy rates can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed to improve staff recruitment and ensure high-quality care services.
Recruiting staff is essential for maintaining high-quality care services, and for backfilling staff when they leave. Understanding the challenges faced by care providers in recruiting staff can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of care providers struggling to recruit staff may indicate a need for improved training and support, or can point to a systemic problem, such as low pay, poor working conditions, or not enough people interested in this job type.
Staff recruitment is important as it’s one of the areas that have levers to pull outside of social care, for example, by changing how many visas are awarded to social care workers.
NOTE: This data series is based on regional data
Workforce_survey_data_tables, Tab 6_2
Lambeth has forty-one community based adult social care services. England as a whole shows an average of about sixty-four. When the figures are adjusted for population, Lambeth has roughly one hundred and thirty community services for every one hundred thousand residents, while the national rate is close to one hundred and seventy. The gap is even wider for residential care. Lambeth has thirty-six residential providers, giving about one hundred and fourteen places per one hundred thousand people, against an England average of about two hundred and forty.
The shortfall cannot be explained only by size. Lambeth’s population of a little over three hundred and fifteen thousand is nine per cent below the England district mean, yet its number of residential providers is sixty per cent below the mean. High land prices and very dense housing—more than eleven thousand eight hundred residents per square kilometre compared with fewer than two thousand five hundred for England—may make it hard to open or expand residential homes. The borough therefore leans more on community provision, although even here supply remains below the national norm.
Despite the smaller market, service quality looks strong. Just over fourteen per cent of Lambeth providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, versus nearly seventeen per cent across England. This suggests effective local oversight and possibly faster support when problems appear. Lower case-loads might also allow staff to focus on individual needs, although that cannot be confirmed from the current data.
The adult social care labour market in Lambeth appears relatively steady. Staff turnover stands at about nineteen per cent, virtually identical to the London average. Vacancies are lower: five point four per cent in Lambeth, against eight point four per cent nationally. Fewer managers report that retaining staff is “more” or “much more” difficult than before—fifty-six per cent compared with sixty-eight per cent for England—and the share finding recruitment harder is also below the national figure. A dense urban setting can widen the pool of potential workers and shorten travel times, which may partly explain these results. Stable staffing supports better continuity of care and may be one reason for the good inspection outcomes noted above.
Lambeth is one of the most deprived boroughs in the country. Its average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile is 3.95, well below the England average of 5.9, and variation between neighbourhoods is smaller than normal. High deprivation often raises demand for formal care because families have fewer informal resources. If need is rising yet provider numbers remain low, pressure on existing services may grow. The slight fall in population since 2019 softens this effect but is unlikely to remove it, especially as the borough still has a large concentration of older and disabled people living in poverty.
The data point to a mixed picture. Workforce stability and provider quality are clear strengths, but the limited number of residential and community services, set against high density and deprivation, could restrict access. The council and Integrated Care Board may wish to encourage new entrants or support expansion, perhaps through help with premises or planning guidance. At the same time, continuing to invest in staff retention schemes should guard against any future labour shortages. Close monitoring of waiting times, home care hours delivered and hospital discharge delays will help test whether current capacity is meeting need.
✨ ✅ ❌Historically, hospital delays have been due in large part, to the inability to discharge patients into social care. We no longer have DTOC data, but we can still look at the number of hospital delays and the number of facilities requiring improvement.
CQC, as the regulator of health and social care services in England, is beginning to rate Local Authorities on their social care provision. Understanding the CQC rating of a local authority should be used as the most official evaluation of service care provision. For example, a low rating may indicate a need for improved service delivery, while a high rating may suggest that existing services are effective.
Hospital delays can have a significant impact on patient care and outcomes, and are in large part the result of not having invested sufficiently in social care. Understanding the number of hospital delays in a local authority can be a sympthom of a poorly working social care sector. For example, a high number of hospital delays may indicate a need for improved discharge planning and coordination, not enough places to discharge people to, lack of sufficient staff to assess patients, or a lack of care providers.
Discharge-Ready-Date-monthly-data-webfile-November-2024, Tab UTLA Acceptable
This metric illustrates how long patients are delayed in hospital before being discharged. Higher average delays mean that patients are spending more time in hospital than necessary, which can lead to increased costs, reduced bed availability, and poorer patient outcomes. This also means that the beds are not available for people that might desperately need them for life-saving procedures.
Discharge-Ready-Date-monthly-data-webfile-November-2024, Tab UTLA Acceptable
Delayed Transfer of Care (DTOC) refers to the time between a patient being declared medically fit for discharge and actually leaving the hospital. Understanding the number of DTOCs in a local authority can help identify precisely where the social care system is failing.
Unfortunately, this dataset is no longer being generated.
Reablement is a short-term service that helps people regain independence and confidence after a period of illness or injury. Understanding the number of people receiving reablement services can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving reablement services may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a low number of people receiving reablement services may suggest that existing services are effective.
Coming soon!
Service user satisfaction is a key indicator of the quality of social care services. Understanding service user satisfaction can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a low level of service user satisfaction may indicate a need for improved service delivery, while a high level of service user satisfaction may suggest that existing services are effective.
It is important to note that the people surveyed are already receiving service care. Notably absent are all the people that are not yet lucky enough to be receiving care.
Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey, question 1
Access to information is crucial for people using social care services to navigate the system effectively. Understanding how easy it is for people to get information can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people finding it difficult to get information may indicate a need for improved communication and support services, while a low number of people finding it difficult to get information may suggest that existing services are effective.
Would you like social care information? Try our Chatbot!
Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey, question 13
An ombudsman is a person who has been appointed to look into complaints about companies and organisations. The number of cases received and decided by the Ombudsman is important because it provides insight into the volume of complaints about a local authority’s social care services and how effectively these complaints are being addressed. The number of cases received indicates the level of dissatisfaction or systemic issues within a council’s care provision, while the number of cases decided shows how efficiently the Ombudsman is processing and resolving complaints. A large gap between the two may suggest delays in complaint handling, leaving individuals waiting.
It is important to note that contacting the Ombudsman is widely considered a last resort, often discouraged, and sometimes penalised.
Almost every person leaving hospital in Lambeth is discharged to a provider judged acceptable by the Care Quality Commission: 99.8 % compared with an England average of 89 %. This suggests strong joint working between the council, local hospitals and community services. The share of discharges that are delayed is also lower than seen nationally (10.3 % against 12.3 %), pointing to effective planning and good use of step-down beds. However, when delay does occur it lasts a little longer than the England norm: the mean delay is 0.84 days, compared with 0.70. This hints at a small group of people with complex needs who wait longer for the right package of care.
Satisfaction with care and support remains a challenge. Only 59.4 % of survey respondents said they were satisfied, below the national figure of 64.7 %. A separate NatCen study reports 57 % dissatisfaction, reinforcing the message that experience does not yet match the technical gains seen in discharge performance. By contrast, 69.7 % of people feel it is easy to find information about services, a little higher than the England average of 68.2 %. Clear information may be helping the flow through services, but it is not yet translating into a feeling of high-quality day-to-day support.
Lambeth records 5.38 Ombudsman enquiries per 100,000 residents, and 4.75 decisions per 100,000. Both rates sit above the England means of 4.45 and 4.12. In a borough of about 316,000 people this equates to roughly 17 enquiries and 15 decisions a year. The higher rate is consistent with the lower satisfaction scores and may reflect a population that is both well informed and willing to challenge services when expectations are not met.
Lambeth is a dense inner-city area with 11,839 residents per square kilometre, almost five times the national average. The population has fallen slightly since 2019, yet demand remains high because of very limited informal care networks in dense urban settings. Deprivation is marked: the mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile is 3.95, well below the England figure of 5.9. Higher deprivation often brings greater and more complex care needs, which can depress satisfaction and lengthen the tail of delayed discharges even when overall processes are efficient.
The data paint a mixed picture. Operational processes around hospital discharge are strong, but lived experience lags behind. Improving the quality and consistency of home and community support, particularly for people with complex social needs, is likely to lift satisfaction and reduce the small number of longer delays. Given the higher rate of Ombudsman contact, investing in early resolution and clear escalation routes could prevent formal complaints. Finally, continued emphasis on accessible information should be paired with co-produced service design so that residents not only know how to get help but also feel that the help meets their expectations.
✨ ✅ ❌We need to understand how much money is being spent on social care, and what this provides. First, let’s look at values reported by local authorities.
Gross Current Expenditure (2023-24) captures the total operational cost of services, indicating overall demand and financial commitment. This includes spending on residential and non-residential care, direct payments, and other social care services. Understanding gross expenditure helps assess the scale of social care provision and financial pressures on local authorities.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
This figure reflects the net cost of social care provision to the local authority, indicating the extent of financial support required to meet service demands. Understanding net expenditure helps assess the financial sustainability of social care services and the commitment level of the local authority.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Client Contributions, otherwise known as “Charging”, show the extent to which service users offset costs. Understanding client contributions helps assess the financial burden on individuals and the local authority, highlighting the need for fair and equitable funding mechanisms.
It is important to note that not all local authorities charge for social care services, and that charging can be a barrier to accessing care for some individuals.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Income from NHS reflects external funding and collaboration with the health sector. Understanding NHS contributions helps understand the level of integration between health and social care.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Budget Cuts indicate financial constraints and potential service reductions. Sometimes, budget cuts are explicit, but other times, they aren’t mentioned directly, making tracking this information difficult to access.
As such, this data is not consistently available for all local authorities.
Access Social Care have made a series of Freedom of Information requests about the government’s own assessment of sufficiency of social care funding. The social care sector is in crisis, yet the government refuses to disclose how it determines funding sufficiency. Without transparency, there is little accountability, no independent scrutiny to improve decision-making, and government trust heavily impacted. Evidence from across the sector indicates a severe funding gap, but without open data, meaningful reform remains impossible. True solutions require honesty about the scale of the problem to then work towards a fair and equitable funding model.
The government appears to know how much money is required for social care, and yet they are not making that known.
✨ ✅ ❌?
In the financial year 2024 Lambeth spent about £47,460 for every 100,000 residents on adult social care in gross terms. This is almost the same as the England mean of £47,758. After taking away money it receives from the NHS and from people who use services, the Council’s net outlay comes to about £42,382 per 100,000 people, which is higher than the national figure of £40,472. The figures show that Lambeth’s overall spending effort sits at the national level, yet the amount the Council finally has to fund itself is above average.
The mix of funding in Lambeth is unusual. NHS contributions reach £11,752 per 100,000 residents, far above the England mean of £7,878. This suggests strong joint work with local health partners, perhaps driven by pressure to move people quickly out of hospital beds in a borough that is densely populated and has large acute trusts nearby. By contrast, client contributions are only £5,078 per 100,000, well below the national £7,286. A lower share from clients can point to a younger population, lower personal wealth, or charging policies designed to protect residents on low incomes. All three factors are likely to be in play. Lambeth’s deprivation score is high – the average neighbourhood sits in decile 4 on the national scale – so fewer people can afford to pay full fees.
Lambeth has about 316,000 residents and is losing population slowly. Over the last four years the number of usual residents has fallen by around four per cent. When a borough with fixed running costs serves fewer people, spending per 100,000 can stay flat even if the cash budget falls. Density is extreme, at more than 11,800 residents per square kilometre, and there is no rural space. High density often brings greater demand for mental health and substance-misuse support, more safeguarding alerts, and higher costs for supported housing. Deprivation is another cost driver, because poorer residents need more help and have less ability to contribute financially.
Gross spend at the national rate shows that Lambeth is not overspending in simple terms, yet the higher net spend hints at real service pressure. The Council is already drawing above-average help from the NHS, so there may be limited scope to shift further costs. Client contributions are low, so raising charges risks pushing families into hardship or making them avoid support altogether.
Maintaining current service levels will remain hard if the population continues to fall or if central grant stays flat. A smaller tax base would leave less local income to meet steady or rising need. Strong health partnerships look vital; they not only bring money but also help keep hospital flow moving. Given high deprivation, the Council may need to keep its charging policies protective, but that will leave a gap that must be met either by further efficiency or by fresh grant. Clear information on national social care funding plans would help the borough set a sustainable path, yet such guidance is still missing. Without it, Lambeth faces the risk of balancing its books by cutting preventive work, which in turn could raise long-term demand and costs.
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