This page provides an overview of social care in Rotherham, 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 Rotherham. 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
In 2024 the age-standardised share of residents who report a disability is 21.2 per cent. The England figure is 17.6 per cent. This gap of almost four percentage points suggests that disability is a common part of life in Rotherham. Higher disability rates often sit alongside earlier ill-health, long-term industrial work and lower income. Rotherham’s average deprivation decile is 4.1, well below the England mean of 5.9, so the social pattern fits the data.
During 2024 the council recorded 5,905 requests for care and support from people aged 18–64. This equals 2,177 requests per 100,000 residents, almost double the national rate of 1,143. The high per-capita figure shows that demand is driven not only by the larger disabled population but also by the wider social context: more deprivation can lower informal support and push people to seek formal help sooner.
Of those who asked for help, 1,690 working-age adults went on to receive a funded service. That is 623 per 100,000 people, modestly above the England average of 533. The gap between requests and services (5,905 versus 1,690) may point to effective sign-posting to lower-level support, but it can also suggest unmet need if alternatives are weak.
Service mix gives extra insight. Nursing home use is slightly below average at 11 per 100,000 (England 14), while residential home use is higher at 77 per 100,000 (England 61). Community support paid through a council-managed personal budget stands out at 383 per 100,000, far above the national 267. This pattern hints that the council prefers to keep people in their own homes when possible, turning to residential care mainly when needs are complex. Lower nursing use may reflect limited local beds or tighter eligibility rules.
Early 2025 figures show small but telling numbers of working-age residents who need advice on charging, legal issues or safeguarding. Charging queries (5.5 per 100,000) sit close to the England mean, while most other categories are a little lower. Good access to advice can prevent crises, yet even these modest volumes add to staff workload in a service that already faces high demand.
Rotherham’s population is growing slowly, yet requests for adult social care are rising much faster. High disability prevalence together with above-average deprivation will keep pressure on assessment teams and on the community care budget. The council’s current emphasis on personal budgets is positive for independence, but the high level of residential care use warns that community options are not always enough.
Service planners may wish to expand early-help offers, invest in accessible housing and strengthen employment support, aiming to reduce the flow of younger disabled adults into long-term care. Given the borough’s lower tax base, securing external funding or regional partnerships could be vital to meet the continuing high level of need.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Rotherham’s population grew from about 266,000 in 2019 to just over 271,000 in 2023. During the same years the share of residents aged 65 and over rose from 19.5 % to 19.8 %. The national share moved from 18.4 % to 18.5 %. This means one person in five in the borough is now older, a little more than in England as a whole. Rotherham is also more deprived: its average deprivation decile is 4.1, while England’s is 5.9. Poorer health that often comes with deprivation can push care needs up, so a growing and relatively disadvantaged older group is likely to call on services more often.
In 2024 there were 10,855 requests for support from people aged 65 +. This equals 4,003 requests for every 100,000 residents, far above the national figure of 2,438. The high rate fits the local picture of more older people and higher deprivation. Population density is moderate at 928 persons per km², lower than the England average of 2,469, so some residents also live further from services, a factor that can prompt extra contact for advice or assessment.
That same year 3,145 older residents received ongoing care. The rate, 1,160 per 100,000, is above the national 1,003 per 100,000. Rotherham is therefore delivering care to a larger share of its population than many areas. Even so, only about three in ten requests turn into ongoing services, suggesting unmet need or a high number of low-level enquiries.
The pattern of support is different from the national mix. Residential care stands at 293 per 100,000, above the England figure of 250. Nursing home use is lower at 70 per 100,000 compared with 122 nationally. Community services managed by the council are high (712 per 100,000 versus 508) while direct payments alone are slightly below average. This suggests Rotherham relies more on standard residential places and council-run community support, and less on nursing beds or fully self-managed care packages. Deprivation may limit family funds for nursing fees, while the council may have invested more in its own community teams.
Small 2025 data on specific advice topics show charging enquiries at 5.5 per 100,000, roughly in line with England. Requests about assessments, carers, and safeguarding are slightly below average. These early figures hint that older residents still seek help, but the largest worry remains paying for care.
The combination of a bigger, poorer older population and very high request rates points to sustained pressure on adult social care. Higher use of residential beds indicates that alternatives such as nursing or intensive home care may need further development. The gap between requests and services delivered could mask hidden need. Planning should focus on:
• Expanding community-based support, especially nursing at home.
• Strengthening information and charging advice to manage demand.
• Targeting prevention in deprived neighbourhoods to delay entry to formal care.
Doing so would help Rotherham meet the needs of its ageing residents while using resources wisely.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Rotherham had about 26,300 unpaid carers, or 9,886 for every 100,000 residents. The national rate was far lower at 8,204 per 100,000. This suggests that a larger share of local people are looking after relatives or friends. Rotherham’s higher need is likely linked to its population profile. The borough is more deprived than the England average, with a mean deprivation decile of 4.2 compared with 5.9. Areas with greater deprivation often see poorer health and earlier onset of long-term illness, both of which raise the demand for informal care. Population growth has been modest, so the high rate is not driven by sudden in-migration; it reflects deeper social and health pressures inside the borough.
Only 26 % of carers in Rotherham said in 2024 that they had as much social contact as they would like. The England figure was 29.3 %. Even a small gap matters, as isolation can lead to stress and poorer mental health. The borough’s carer population is already large, so reduced social contact may point to high caring hours that leave little time for friends or leisure. It may also show that community networks are not strong enough to offset caring duties, despite Rotherham’s mainly urban setting where services are geographically close.
Finding help is not the main barrier. In 2024, 59.5 % of carers felt it was easy to obtain information about services; the England average was 59.3 %. This parity hints that the local authority’s signposting work is broadly effective. Yet knowing about support does not always mean receiving it.
The picture changes sharply when we look at actual interventions. Direct payments to carers were only 3.7 per 100,000 people in 2024, equal to roughly ten carers. Nationally the rate was 150 per 100,000. Support that combines local-authority management with a personal budget and other direct options was either absent or too small to report. Information, advice and other universal services reached about 164 per 100,000 residents (around 440 carers), but this is still half the national level. By contrast, 92 per 100,000 residents (about 250 carers) benefited from respite or other help delivered to the cared-for person, a higher rate than England’s 70. This pattern shows that Rotherham leans on services aimed at the person being cared for rather than on direct funding for the carer.
In 2025 the borough recorded one safeguarding case involving a carer, equal to 0.37 per 100,000 people, against an England average of 0.75. With so many unpaid carers, the very low case count may reflect under-reporting rather than low risk.
Rotherham has a high share of unpaid carers, many of whom feel socially isolated and receive little direct financial support. The council may wish to shift resources towards direct payments and peer support groups, both proven to reduce strain. Given the higher deprivation level, targeted outreach in the most deprived neighbourhoods could ensure carers know how to turn information into practical help. Finally, monitoring systems may need strengthening so that safeguarding issues surface earlier in a borough where caring is both widespread and demanding.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Rotherham has 37 community-based adult social care services and 77 residential care services. When population is taken into account, this equals about 13.6 community providers and 28.4 residential providers for every 100,000 residents. England as a whole shows roughly 16.9 community and 24.1 residential providers per 100,000 people. Rotherham therefore offers a denser network of residential homes but a slimmer supply of community services.
The strong residential offer may reflect the borough’s history as an industrial town with an ageing population living in areas of higher deprivation. Older adults in poorer health often enter residential care earlier, so demand can be higher than in more affluent areas. By contrast, fewer community services may limit people who wish to stay at home with support. In an area where only 12 percent of land is rural, travel distances are short, yet the spread of deprivation across neighbourhoods may deter smaller community agencies from opening, keeping numbers low.
About 15.8 percent of providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, slightly better than the national rate of 16.8 percent. One in six services therefore still needs support, but the local figure suggests quality is not being dragged down by deprivation to the extent often seen in similar towns. Active commissioning, quick follow-up after inspections, or the presence of larger provider chains may be helping to keep standards steady.
Staff turnover in 2023/24 was 25.2 percent, almost identical to the regional average. However, the vacancy rate sits at only 4.4 percent, roughly half the national value of 8.4 percent. Managers are filling posts, yet 82.5 percent say recruiting is “more” or “much more” challenging, and 70.5 percent give the same answer for retaining staff. This apparent tension can be explained in two ways. First, pay in Rotherham is often lower than in neighbouring Sheffield or Leeds, so providers may succeed in hiring but must cast a wider net or invest more time. Second, a tight local labour market—unemployment is now low—means posts are covered, but future growth feels uncertain. A high share of staff may be on overtime or bank contracts, keeping vacancy counts down while still making managers feel stretched.
Rotherham’s population has grown slowly to 271,000, still well below the England mean of 377,000, and density is around 928 residents per square kilometre, much lower than the national urban average. The borough is more deprived than most, with a mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile of 4.1. Deprivation is linked to poorer health, and this can raise the need for intensive residential care while simultaneously shrinking the tax base that funds preventive, community-based support.
The current balance of services gives residents relatively good access to residential beds, but it risks institutional care becoming the default. Expanding community provision would help people stay at home longer and could ease pressure on NHS beds. The low vacancy rate shows that staff can be found, yet the high perceived difficulty in recruitment warns against complacency; sustained investment in training, career pathways and pay parity with nearby cities will be vital. Finally, maintaining the modest edge in quality will depend on continued partnership between the council, the integrated care board and providers to share good practice and target support towards the sixth of services that still fall short.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Rotherham resident who leaves hospital is discharged to a care provider judged acceptable by the Care Quality Commission (99.8 %, national 89 %). This suggests close working between the local authority, the hospital trust and regulated care homes. However, 15.7 % of discharges are delayed, three percentage points above the England rate. The average length of delay is 0.69 days, fractionally below the national figure (0.70). Together these numbers imply that delays are common but usually short. Rotherham’s growing and relatively deprived population places extra demand on step-down services, so increasing short-stay capacity or community rehabilitation could cut the proportion of delayed cases without large investment in long-stay beds.
In the 2024 survey 65.4 % of people said they were satisfied with their care and support, a little higher than the national average of 64.7 %. A separate NatCen poll found that 57 % of respondents were dissatisfied; the apparent contradiction may show that residents value their personal care workers but worry about the wider system. Deprivation may heighten that concern: Rotherham sits in decile 4 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, well below the national mean of 5.9, and inequalities inside the borough are wider than average (standard deviation 2.6 versus 2.3).
Finding information is slightly harder in Rotherham than elsewhere (67.9 % say it is easy, England 68.2 %). In an area where only 12 % of residents live in rural communities-yet population density is less than half the England norm-information channels must reach both tight urban estates and scattered former pit villages. Improving signposting and digital inclusion would support informed choice and may also lift satisfaction scores.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 2.95 cases per 100,000 residents, far below the national rate of 4.45. Decisions issued stand at 1.84 per 100,000, again well below the England figure of 4.12. Low complaint rates can signal good performance, but they can also reflect barriers to raising concerns. The slightly lower “ease of finding information” score hints that some people may not know how or where to complain, especially in more deprived neighbourhoods. Strengthening advocacy services and publicising independent redress routes would ensure that low complaint numbers genuinely reflect good quality rather than unmet need.
Rotherham delivers care that meets or exceeds many national quality markers despite higher deprivation and a modest, steadily rising population ( + 2 % since 2019). Priority actions should focus on the pinch point of hospital discharge: reducing the proportion of delayed transfers while preserving the present high standard of placement quality. Parallel work on information, advice and advocacy will help residents understand their options, voice concerns and shape future services. Addressing these areas can consolidate recent gains, raise public confidence and prepare the system for continued demographic growth.
✨ ✅ ❌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 the financial year 2024 Rotherham spent about £52 000 for every 100 000 residents on adult social care. With a mid-2023 population of roughly 271 000 people, this equals a gross spend of close to £140 million. After accounting for income and grants, net local authority spending is around £45 000 per 100 000 residents, or roughly £122 million in total.
Rotherham’s gross spend per head is 8 percent above the national average, and its net spend is 11 percent higher. In contrast, money collected from clients is 7 percent below the norm, and NHS contributions are less than half of the national rate. The figures show that local funds, rather than personal fees or joint NHS money, are carrying most of the load.
Need is likely to be the key driver. Rotherham is more deprived than the average English council (mean deprivation decile 4.1 versus 5.9), and deprivation raises demand for home care, residential placements and support for working-age adults with disabilities. A largely urban setting (only 12 percent rural) means services have to cope with concentrated pockets of poor health. Although population density is lower than the English mean, it is still high enough to place steady pressure on community teams, while the borough’s small overall population limits economies of scale.
Low client contributions point towards a larger share of residents who pass the means test and pay little or nothing for care. Deprivation again offers a simple explanation. The very low NHS contribution suggests that joint budgets, for example under Section 75 agreements, are not yet matching the level seen elsewhere. This can leave the council paying for services that might otherwise be funded by the health sector, such as reablement or specialist nursing support in care homes.
The council appears to be spending more than the national norm to meet higher local need, yet still relies heavily on its own budget. If NHS transfers remain small, pressures will grow, especially in years when funding from Whitehall is tight. The absence of strong income from client charges also reduces flexibility.
Given these patterns, Rotherham could benefit from:
• deeper partnership with the Integrated Care Board to boost NHS funding for joint work;
• fresh approaches to early intervention that could ease future demand;
• a careful look at charging policies to balance fairness with financial resilience.
No trend data are available, so it is not yet clear whether spending is rising or falling in real terms. However, the current mix of high need, modest population size and limited external income leaves little headroom for future cost growth. Unless national reform brings additional money, the borough may face hard choices about eligibility, provider fees or investment in prevention.
Rotherham is already spending more per resident than most councils, chiefly because its people are more deprived and less able to pay for their own care. Without stronger financial support from the NHS or central government, maintaining service quality will remain challenging.
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