This page provides an overview of social care in Portsmouth, 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: Portsmouth
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: Portsmouth
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 Portsmouth. 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 disability rate in Portsmouth is 19.1 per cent. The England average is 17.6 per cent. In other words, about one in five local residents report a long-term condition that limits daily life, compared with a little less than one in six nationally. Portsmouth is a dense, fully urban city with higher deprivation (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.3 against 5.9 for England). Areas with more poverty and manual work often see poorer health, so the above-average disability rate fits the local profile.
During 2024, 3,300 working-age adults (18–64) asked the council for social care. This equals 1,569 requests per 100,000 residents, around one-third above the England figure of 1,143 per 100,000. The high demand is unsurprising in a city where more people are disabled and where housing density (5,150 residents per km²) may make informal family support harder.
Only 950 working-age adults actually received long-term support in 2024. The rate, 452 per 100,000, is lower than the national figure of 533 per 100,000. In simple terms, Portsmouth sees more people asking for help but fewer ending up with a care package than is typical elsewhere.
The pattern within service types is mixed. Community support managed by the council (350 per 100,000) is above average, suggesting that when help is offered it often stays at home rather than in a home. Direct-payment-only support (31 per 100,000) and nursing or residential placements (52 per 100,000 combined) are well below national norms. This points to a service model that tries to keep people independent but may also reflect limited supply of specialist beds or low take-up of direct payments.
The ratio of recipients to requests is roughly 1 : 3.5. A gap this wide could mean that many applicants are judged ineligible, drop out during assessment, or face waiting lists. Small numbers of recorded requests for help with assessments, charging or information in 2025 (all below 4 per 100,000) hint at under-recording or a shift to online self-service rather than a real fall in enquiries.
Portsmouth’s higher disability rate, dense housing and relative deprivation all push up demand for support. Yet the city provides fewer long-term care packages than the average council. This may leave some residents without the help they need, adding pressure on families, primary care and hospital services.
Maintaining community-based support aligns with national policy, but low use of direct payments suggests that residents may need more guidance or confidence to manage their own care budgets. The shortage of nursing and residential placements could become critical as the population ages, even though current data look only at working-age adults.
Closing the gap between requests and provision will likely need extra assessment staff, clearer eligibility communication and stronger links with voluntary groups. Investment in accessible housing and employment support could also ease demand by helping disabled residents stay independent. Finally, monitoring should continue so that any rise in unmet need is spotted early in a city where the share of disabled people is already above average.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Portsmouth has a growing but still small older population. Between 2019 and 2023 the share of residents aged 65 + rose from 14.5 % to 15.0 %. England as a whole stayed higher, close to 18–19 %. This means the city has fewer older residents than most places, yet the number is inching up each year.
The city is compact and dense. In 2021 there were 5,150 usual residents per square kilometre, twice the national figure. Land for large care sites is therefore limited, and travel times for home-care staff are short. Portsmouth is also more deprived than average (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.3 versus 5.9). Deprivation often brings poorer health at an earlier age, so people may need support sooner even if they are not yet very old.
In 2024 Portsmouth recorded 5,965 requests for support from people aged 65 +. This equals 2,836 requests per 100,000 older residents, around 16 % higher than the England mean of 2,438. The city therefore receives many calls for help despite its smaller older population share. High demand is likely linked to local deprivation and possibly to limited informal support where families also face economic pressure.
Of those requesting help, 2,240 went on to receive a long-term care package, a rate of roughly 1,065 per 100,000. This is only a little above the national rate (1,003), so the conversion from request to ongoing support appears low: about 38 % in Portsmouth. Possible reasons include stringent eligibility rules, effective sign-posting to low-level services, or unmet need that remains unresolved.
The mix of services differs from the national picture. Residential care (178 per 100,000) and nursing care (114) both sit below England averages, while community care delivered through a council-managed personal budget is very high at 749 per 100,000 (national 508). Direct payments, whether full or part, are used less often than elsewhere.
This pattern fits an urban setting where home visits are practical and bed-based provision is hard to expand. It may also reflect a policy choice to keep people at home for as long as possible. The lower use of direct payments could point to limited market options for clients to arrange their own support, or to a local culture that favours council-commissioned services.
In 2025 the council logged only ten enquiries from older people about assessments, charging or information seeking. These rates are lower than the England means. Such small numbers might mean that advice is already given earlier in the process, but they could also flag under-recording. Monitoring should continue so that quiet requests do not mask hidden demand.
Even with a modest share of older residents, Portsmouth faces above-average demand for social care. High density and deprivation seem to drive this need. The city’s strong emphasis on community support aligns with its physical environment, yet the low conversion of requests to long-term packages may hint at unmet needs or tight gate-keeping.
The proportion of older people is slowly rising. Planning for future years should consider extra capacity in home-care teams, further development of the personal assistant market, and targeted early-help in the most deprived wards. Doing so could ease pressure on formal services and maintain independence for residents as the population ages.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Portsmouth had about 15 300 unpaid carers. This figure comes from a rate of 7 389 carers for every 100 000 residents and a mid-year population of 207 100. The national rate was higher, at 8 204 per 100 000. Portsmouth therefore relies on a slightly smaller pool of informal carers than the country as a whole.
The city is densely populated, fully urban and more deprived than the England average. These factors often increase demand for support, because long-term illness and disability tend to cluster in urban and deprived areas. A smaller carer pool may mean that each individual carer is looking after more than one person or providing more hours, raising the risk of fatigue.
Only 26.9 percent of Portsmouth carers say they have as much social contact as they would like, compared with 29.3 percent nationally. The difference is modest but important. High housing density can limit living space and privacy, while lower income can restrict leisure choices, so carers in Portsmouth may find it harder to step away from caring roles and meet friends. Isolation can increase stress and reduce the ability to continue caring over the long term.
On a more positive note, 68.4 percent of local carers feel it is easy to find information about services; the England figure is 59.3 percent. Portsmouth’s compact geography and the council’s move towards digital portals may make guidance simpler to locate. Easy access to information can shorten the time before carers seek help, but it does not guarantee that help is available in the form they need.
The mix of direct support in 2024 shows a distinctive pattern. Portsmouth issues 147 part direct payments and 140 council-managed personal budgets per 100 000 residents, both more than twice the England rates. Full direct payments, at 145 per 100 000, sit just below the national average. This suggests that the authority favours shared-management arrangements that give carers some control while keeping oversight with the council. Low use of “no direct support” (7 per 100 000 versus 130 nationally) indicates that most assessed carers receive at least some funded help.
However, only 174 residents per 100 000 obtain information or advice services, half the national figure, and a mere 12 per 100 000 receive respite or similar support delivered to the cared-for person, one sixth of the norm. The shortage of universal advice and of breaks may explain why social contact scores remain low despite the ease of finding information: carers can see what exists but do not always receive the lighter-touch support that would free up time to socialise.
Portsmouth’s carers benefit from relatively good signposting and an active use of personal budgets, yet they experience more isolation and have fewer opportunities for respite than their peers elsewhere. With a small unpaid carer base serving a dense and deprived population, the sustainability of caring roles is a concern. Expanding short-break services and community groups could enhance well-being at moderate cost. Strengthening universal advice channels may also help earlier in the caring journey, before high-cost interventions are needed.
Monitoring future census data will show whether the number of unpaid carers rises or whether the city must plan for greater formal care provision as the population ages.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Portsmouth has 33 community-based adult social care services and the same number of residential care homes. When set against a population of about 210,000 people, this gives roughly 16 providers for every 100,000 residents. For community services this is only slightly below the England figure of around 17 per 100,000, so local access looks broadly in line with the national picture. For residential care, however, England offers about 24 homes per 100,000 people. Portsmouth therefore has a noticeably smaller stock of beds. The shortfall may reflect the city’s very high population density and limited land, which make it harder to build or expand care homes. A stronger push towards home-based or outreach care is likely, yet families who need full-time placements may find choice restricted.
Almost one in four local providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”. The England rate is nearer one in six. This gap means many Portsmouth residents may face lower standards or fewer high-quality options. Higher need linked to deprivation could be raising pressure on services. Portsmouth sits in the fourth most deprived decile on average, so providers deal with more complex health and social issues. Tight budgets and heavier workloads can make it harder to keep quality high.
Staff turnover in the city’s wider region stands at 26.7 per cent, almost the same as the England average. Vacancy rates, on the other hand, are lower: about 6 per cent in Portsmouth against 8 per cent nationally. This suggests posts are being filled, yet stability is fragile. Over 72 per cent of local managers say it is harder to retain staff and 83 per cent find recruitment more challenging. High housing costs in a dense urban area and competition from other sectors may draw workers away just as quickly as they are hired. Rapid churn can disrupt continuity of care and makes it tougher to lift inspection ratings.
Portsmouth’s population has hovered around 210,000 for the last five years, but it lives within only 40 square kilometres. With more than double the national average number of residents per square kilometre, demand for nearby services is intense. Coupled with higher deprivation, this density can increase care needs while squeezing physical space for new provision. No part of the city is rural, so all demand is focused in the same urban area, accentuating peaks in workload.
The main challenge is not sheer access to community care but a shortfall in residential places and a quality gap across both settings. Improvement work should focus on better training, stronger management, and support for staff well-being to curb turnover. Given land limits, modern multi-storey care homes or the conversion of unused urban buildings could ease capacity pressures. At the same time, investing in re-ablement, home care technology, and outreach teams will help residents stay independent and reduce the strain on scarce residential beds. Targeted funding towards deprived neighbourhoods, where needs are greatest, should raise quality and equity together.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Portsmouth is a compact, very urban city. Around 210,000 people live within only 40 km², giving a density of 5,150 residents per km², twice the England average. The mean deprivation decile is 4.3, lower than the national 5.9, so need and complexity are likely to be above average. These structural features shape how care is delivered and how people judge its quality.
The Care Quality Commission reports that 99.8 % of Portsmouth residents leave hospital from trusts judged acceptable for continuing care, well above the national 89 %. This suggests strong relationships with neighbouring hospitals and effective choice of safe discharge destinations.
However, once a person is ready to leave, the journey is slow. Twenty-five per cent of local discharges are delayed, double the England rate of 12.3 %. The average delay is 1.34 days, compared with 0.7 days nationally. In a densely populated city with limited space for step-down beds and a relatively deprived population, finding timely home care or residential placements is harder. The data imply that quality assurance of destinations is good, yet capacity constraints are blocking patient flow and could be raising hospital costs and risks of deconditioning.
Sixty-three per cent of adult social care respondents say they are satisfied with the support they receive, one point lower than the England figure of 64.7 %. At the same time, a separate survey records 57 % dissatisfaction, hinting at polarised views: many people are content, but a sizeable minority feel let down. Limited supply of care workers in a high-cost city may explain why some residents struggle to secure consistent help, despite overall safety standards.
Information is an exception. Seventy-two per cent of service users find it easy to obtain information about services, above the national 68.2 %. Clear sign-posting can shorten the search for help, yet if the underlying services remain stretched, better information alone will not lift satisfaction scores much further.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 4.28 complaints per 100,000 residents, slightly below the England mean of 4.45. Nevertheless, 5.23 complaints per 100,000 reached a decision stage, higher than the national 4.12. A larger share of complaints therefore proceeds to formal adjudication, which may reflect persistent concerns about unresolved issues or a culture that encourages escalation when local resolution fails. Either way, the council gains valuable feedback to drive improvement.
Portsmouth performs strongly on choosing safe discharge destinations and on providing clear information, but delayed transfers, middling satisfaction, and a high rate of ombudsman decisions highlight pressure points. Actions that expand home-care capacity, speed up housing adaptations, and support informal carers could reduce waiting times and boost satisfaction. Given high density and deprivation, investment in community-based services and workforce retention schemes is likely to yield the greatest quality gains.
✨ ✅ ❌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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Portsmouth is spending about £92 million on adult social care this year. After income from clients and the NHS is taken away, the net cost to the council is roughly £78 million. These sums come from a population of a little over 210,000 people, so the city is spending about £43,900 for every 100,000 residents before income, and £36,950 after income.
Per person spending is lower than the national picture. The average council in England puts £47,800 per 100,000 people into gross social care, and £40,500 after income. Portsmouth therefore spends about eight to nine per cent less than the average authority on both measures. The pattern is the same for the money that service users and the NHS put in. Client contributions in Portsmouth are around £6,900 per 100,000 residents, five per cent below the norm, while NHS contributions stand at about £6,600, sixteen per cent under the national figure.
Lower spending is striking because the city shows several signs of higher need. Portsmouth is more deprived than the national average, with a mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile of 4.3 compared with 5.9 for England. Deprivation often brings greater demand for social care because of poorer health, insecure housing, and limited informal support. Population density is also very high, at 5,150 residents per square kilometre; only a few English cities are more crowded. Dense urban living can raise the number of people needing help in a small area, though it can also make some services cheaper to deliver because travel times are short.
The lower level of cash could mean that Portsmouth is running a very efficient service, perhaps helped by the compact geography of the island city. However, it might also hint at unmet need. If deprivation is high but spending per head is low, some residents may wait longer for assessments, receive smaller care packages, or rely more on unpaid carers. The modest level of client contributions may point to limited ability to pay among service users, while the small share coming from the NHS could suggest less joint commissioning or fewer health-related care packages.
If demand keeps rising, current budgets may struggle to cover the full cost of care. The city may wish to look again at joint work with the NHS to bring in extra funding. Targeted prevention in the most deprived wards could also ease future pressure by slowing growth in complex needs. Should extra money become available, Portsmouth might need to decide whether to raise care hours, expand re-ablement, or improve pay for its care workforce. Clear local priorities will be important, especially as there is no firm information on future national support and concerns have been raised that government knows the scale of need but has not provided matching funds.
Portsmouth spends less per resident on social care than the average English council, even though local need indicators are less favourable. This may reflect efficiency, tight finances, or a mixture of both. Careful monitoring of waiting times, outcomes, and user satisfaction will show whether current funding is enough or whether fresh investment is required.
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