This page provides an overview of social care in Newcastle upon Tyne, 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.
IMD 2019 for the Lower Tier Local Authorities: Newcastle upon Tyne
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.
IMD 2019 for the Lower Tier Local Authorities: Newcastle upon Tyne
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 Newcastle upon Tyne. 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
About one in five residents say they are disabled. The age-standardised rate is 20.9 %, while the England figure is 17.6 %. Newcastle is therefore home to a larger share of disabled people than most places. Two factors help to explain this. First, the city is more deprived than the national average. Poor health and disability often rise when income, housing and work are harder to secure. Second, Newcastle is a dense, mainly urban area, so long-term illness linked to past industrial work and air quality may still be felt.
In 2024, 3,020 working-age adults asked the council for help. This equals 968 requests for every 100,000 residents, lower than the England figure of 1,143 per 100,000. The lower rate may look positive, yet it can also point to hidden need. If some people do not know their rights, or feel the process is hard, they may not come forward. Deprivation and low access to advice services can add to this.
Although fewer people ask for support, a fairly high number receive it. Newcastle supports 1,695 working-age adults, or 543 per 100,000 residents. This is slightly above the England average of 533 per 100,000. The pattern hints that once someone enters the system, the council is willing to put a formal package in place. It may also show that those who do apply often have complex needs and therefore qualify for care.
The mix of placements is important. Nursing home use stands at 26 per 100,000, twice the national rate of 14. This suggests that a group of younger adults has conditions so serious that 24-hour clinical care is required. Residential care, on the other hand, is lower than average, so the city may be holding back on non-nursing institutional beds. Community support paid through a council-managed personal budget is high (337 per 100,000 versus 267 nationally). Direct payments alone are too few to report. This balance tells us that Newcastle leans towards keeping people at home, but many still prefer the council to organise their care rather than manage the money themselves.
Small numbers of working-age adults sought formal help with issues like direct payments, charging or legal complaints. For example, only eight safeguarding enquiries were logged, equal to 2.6 per 100,000, well below the England norm of 5.7. Low enquiry rates could mean good practice, but they can also mean people are unaware of how to raise concerns. Given the city’s higher disability prevalence, monitoring access to advice services remains wise.
Newcastle’s rising population, high density and pockets of deep deprivation place steady pressure on adult social care. The city already serves a higher share of disabled residents than the national picture. Demand may grow further as the population edges past 312,000 and cost-of-living pressures continue. Keeping people at home with managed personal budgets is working, yet the high use of nursing care signals a need for strong links with health services. Improving outreach, so that unmet need does not stay hidden, and expanding independent advice on direct payments could help residents make informed choices and may reduce long-term costs.
✨ ✅ ❌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 city’s population has grown quickly, from about 297,000 in 2019 to almost 312,000 in 2023, yet the share of residents aged 65 plus has stayed fairly steady at just under 15 per cent. England as a whole stands nearer 19 per cent. In other words, Newcastle is still a young city, but the actual number of older citizens is rising because the whole population is rising.
In 2024 there were 7,625 requests for adult social care from people aged 65 plus. This equals 2,444 requests for every 100,000 residents, almost exactly the national rate of 2,438. When we remember that the city has fewer older people than average, this level of demand looks high. One likely reason is deprivation. Newcastle sits in the fourth most deprived decile on average, and the spread of deprivation between neighbourhoods is wider than the England norm. Poor health in deprived areas can bring forward frailty and push up care requests even when the older population is small.
Some 3,150 older residents were getting long-term support at the same 2024 snapshot. That is 1,010 per 100,000 people, again a little above the England rate of 1,003. The pattern inside this total is telling. Use of nursing care (136 per 100,000) and residential care (298 per 100,000) is well above the national picture, while purely community-based help paid through a direct payment only route is below average. Many citizens therefore reach formal care with complex or advanced needs that require 24-hour settings. Limited unpaid support, common in dense urban areas, may also steer practitioners towards bed-based care.
By contrast, the council uses managed personal budgets for community care more than most areas (532 per 100,000 against an England figure of 508). When help is arranged at home it tends to be through tailored packages that the council oversees, not through traditional commissioned home-care hours. Very few cases are recorded as “commissioned support only”, which may reflect a deliberate shift from block contracts to personal budgets or simply a difference in recording.
For 2025 the data on specific advice enquiries—such as support with assessments, direct payments or safeguarding—show very small numbers in Newcastle and in England. Their scale is too low to influence overall demand, but they do hint that formal information routes are not the main door for older residents. Good sign-posting might reduce later nursing or residential admissions, so broadening these channels could be useful.
The proportion of older people crept up from 14.8 per cent in 2019 to 15.0 per cent in 2021 before slipping back to 14.9 per cent. The near-flat line hides a real rise in head-count because of total population growth. Given current growth rates Newcastle could add another 5,000-6,000 older residents within five years. If deprivation levels do not improve, the city may see further pressure for nursing and residential places.
Keeping people independent for longer looks key. Investment in community health teams, re-ablement and informal carer support could slow the flow into costly bed-based care. At the same time, the council will need to keep enough nursing and residential capacity, because the data show that such placements are still required more often here than elsewhere. Finally, the marked use of managed personal budgets suggests local staff are skilled in personalisation; building on that strength could make community offers more attractive and delay higher-cost care.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Newcastle recorded 7,836 unpaid carers for every 100,000 residents. With a mid-2021 population of just under 299,000, this equates to roughly 23,000 people who give unpaid support to family or friends. The rate is about five per cent below the England average of 8,204 per 100,000. A lower recorded rate can reflect the city’s relatively young age profile and the possibility that some carers do not come forward. Newcastle’s high population density and high deprivation score (mean decile 4.5 compared with the national 5.9) suggest that when caring does occur it is often in households already managing financial strain.
Only 26.6 per cent of local carers said in 2024 that they had as much social contact as they would like, three percentage points below the national figure. Living in a dense, mainly urban area does not guarantee good social networks, especially where deprivation restricts leisure budgets and time away from caring. The finding hints at a risk of isolation and stress, issues that can lead to poorer health for both carer and cared-for person.
The 2024 activity data show a mixed picture. Around 122 carers per 100,000 received a direct payment, noticeably below the England norm of 150. Other types of personalised budget are either absent or too few to display. By contrast, 506 carers per 100,000 received information, advice or other universal services, far above the national rate of 339. Only 27 per 100,000 received no direct support at all, one-fifth of the national figure. The pattern suggests Newcastle is prioritising low-cost, early-help approaches and has succeeded in keeping the number of totally unsupported carers very small. However, fewer direct payments may limit flexibility for people who need tailored, hands-on help.
Sixty-two per cent of carers said it is easy to find information about services, slightly better than the national 59 per cent. This aligns with the strong use of signposting and advice services noted above and shows that the council’s public-facing offer is working for many residents.
In 2025 only one safeguarding episode involving a carer was recorded, a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 compared with an England mean of 0.75. The very low number could indicate effective prevention, but under-reporting is also possible, particularly in deprived areas where contact with formal agencies may be limited.
Newcastle supports a slightly smaller but still substantial community of unpaid carers. These residents live in one of the most densely populated and socio-economically challenged parts of the country, factors that heighten the impact of caring. The city’s emphasis on advice and signposting is paying off in terms of perceived ease of access and the small share of carers with no support. The next step is to improve quality of life. Expanding direct payments or other flexible budgets could help carers buy respite, transport or social activities, counteracting the low social-contact score. Continued outreach is also needed to identify “hidden” carers in younger, working-age households and in deprived neighbourhoods so that unmet need does not remain invisible.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Newcastle has 42 community-based adult social care services and 67 residential care homes. With a 2023 population of about 312,000 people, this equals around 13.5 community services and 21.5 residential homes for every 100,000 residents. England as a whole offers roughly 16.9 and 24.1 per 100,000. The city therefore has a smaller provider base, both in raw terms and per head. Newcastle is a compact, very urban area with high population density and little rural land. Fewer, often larger, providers can still cover short travel distances, yet the lower choice may limit how well specific cultural or specialist needs are met. High deprivation in many neighbourhoods may raise demand for care, so a tight market could risk waiting lists or people travelling further for support.
Only 12.8 % of local providers are rated “needs improvement” or “inadequate”, compared with 16.8 % nationally. A smaller market can help the council and the Care Quality Commission keep close contact with managers, share good practice quickly and intervene early. Good quality may also reflect strong commissioning by the city council, which has long worked with a limited, stable group of providers.
The staff turnover rate stands at 24.3 %, almost identical to the North East average and to England as a whole. Vacancy is 6.5 %, two percentage points below the national figure of 8.4 %. This suggests that, today, most posts are filled. Newcastle’s large student and graduate labour pool and good public transport may help providers recruit. However, 70.5 % of organisations say retaining staff is now “more” or “much more” challenging, and 82.5 % report the same for recruiting new staff, both slightly above the wider regional view. Rising living costs and competition from the city’s growing retail and hospitality sectors may be making social care less attractive, so vacancy rates could rise if pay and career paths do not keep pace.
Newcastle’s average deprivation decile is 4.5, well below the England mean of 5.9, and inequality across neighbourhoods is marked. People in poorer areas often need care earlier and for longer. The city also hosts many younger adults with complex needs. Combined with a lower number of providers, this can stretch services even when current quality looks good. If staffing pressures worsen, the risk of unmet need and of quality slipping will grow.
Council planners may wish to widen the market, encouraging new community providers to improve choice and coverage. Continued support for quality improvement should stay a priority, as it appears to be paying off. Workforce plans will need to focus on pay, housing and career progression to counter the reported difficulties in recruitment and retention before vacancy rates start to climb. Targeted investment in the most deprived wards could ease local pressure and maintain the city’s strong performance on care quality.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Most people leave hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne without delay. In November 2024, 99.6 percent of discharges came from trusts judged acceptable, well above the England figure of 89 percent. Only 9.4 percent of discharges were delayed, compared with 12.3 percent nationally. The average wait once a delay has begun is 0.95 days, a little longer than the 0.7-day England mean, so a small group still waits more than is ideal. The wider picture, however, shows an acute sector that moves patients on promptly, which helps to avoid crowding in wards and may cut the risk of harm linked to long stays.
The 2024 survey found that 62.8 percent of local respondents were satisfied with the care and support they receive, slightly below the England rate of 64.7 percent. An alternative survey by NatCen reports 57 percent dissatisfaction, hinting that feelings about services are mixed and perhaps sensitive to the questions asked. Ease of finding information is broadly in line with the country: 68.3 percent of users said it is easy to discover what help is on offer, almost identical to the 68.2 percent national average. Taken together, these results suggest that the council’s sign-posting works reasonably well, but day-to-day care does not yet meet the hopes of all residents.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 5.45 complaints per 100,000 residents in 2024 and decided 5.13 per 100,000, both higher than the England means of 4.45 and 4.12. With a 2023 population of about 312,000, this equals roughly 17 cases raised and 16 decided. A higher rate can point to service faults, but it can also reflect an urban, well-connected community that knows how to pursue redress. Monitoring themes in these complaints will help the council spot repeat problems and learn quickly.
Between 2019 and 2023 the city grew by nearly 5 percent, adding close to 15,000 residents. Density now stands at 2,646 people per square kilometre, above the England norm of 2,469. Only 1.8 percent of the area is rural, so most services must operate in a tight, urban setting. Newcastle upon Tyne is also more deprived than average, with a mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile of 4.5 versus 5.9 for England, and a wider spread of deprivation scores across neighbourhoods. Higher need linked to deprivation, plus rapid population growth, increases pressure on community health and care teams and can shape perceptions of quality.
Strong discharge performance shows effective joint working between hospitals, the council and independent providers, yet the slightly longer average delay hints that complex cases may lack the right community packages. The council may wish to focus on home-care capacity and re-ablement to keep average waits down. Satisfaction results and the above-average complaint rate suggest that listening to service users should stay central to quality work. Clear action plans, shared publicly, can turn complaints into visible change and build trust. Finally, growing, densely settled and deprived communities need sustained investment in front-line staff and in information channels that reach every neighbourhood, so that rapid hospital flow translates into safe, high-quality care at home.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
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In 2024 Newcastle spends about £52.6 million for every 100 000 residents on adult social care. With a mid-2023 population of roughly 312 000, this equals close to £164 million in gross terms. After deducting income from the NHS and from users, net local authority spending stands at around £136 million, or £43.7 million per 100 000 people.
The city’s per-capita spend is higher than the England average on every line:
• Gross expenditure is 10 % above the norm.
• Net expenditure is 8 % above.
• Client contributions are 22 % above.
• NHS contributions are 36 % above.
Newcastle is an almost entirely urban council (only 1.8 % rural) and is more deprived than the country as a whole (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.5 against 5.9 nationally). High density (2 646 residents per km²) and rising population add extra pressure. Urban poverty is linked to poorer health, earlier onset of long-term illness and a higher proportion of people needing help with daily living. Higher spending therefore looks less like inefficiency and more like a response to heavier demand.
Residents contribute roughly £8.9 million per 100 000 people (£27.8 million in total), while the local NHS adds about £10.7 million per 100 000 (£33.4 million). Both figures are well above national benchmarks, suggesting two things. First, more service users in Newcastle can be asked to pay something, perhaps because the city supports large numbers of working-age adults with disabilities whose benefits contribute towards care charges. Second, joint packages with the NHS may be common. That can be good for joined-up care, yet it also means that any squeeze on NHS budgets would quickly feed through to adult social care.
The higher net spend has to stretch across a population that is growing faster than the national rate (5 % rise since 2019). Even a stable budget in cash terms will buy less care each year once extra clients, pay awards and general inflation are taken into account. The remark that “the government appears to know how much money is required…and yet they are not making that known” hints at local unease: planners need multi-year funding signals to match resources to need.
Newcastle’s spending pattern lines up with its social profile: dense, deprived and health-challenged areas usually require more care hours, specialist housing and safeguarding work. Continued population growth suggests costs will keep edging up unless demand can be delayed through prevention. The relatively large NHS contribution shows that integrated working is well established; protecting this joint income will be crucial if the council is to maintain current service levels.
Spending is already above average because need is above average. Urban deprivation, rising numbers and reliance on NHS funds all point in the same direction: without clear, consistent government support, Newcastle may struggle to keep pace with care demand in the years ahead.
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