This page provides an overview of social care in Stockton-on-Tees, 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: Stockton-on-Tees
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: Stockton-on-Tees
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 Stockton-on-Tees. 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 rate of disability is 20.2 per cent, against an England average of 17.6 per cent. In other words, roughly one in five residents live with a disability, about one in six nationally. Stockton-on-Tees therefore carries a heavier disability burden than many places of similar size.
During 2024 the council recorded 2,405 requests for support from working-age adults. This equals 1,188 requests per 100,000 residents, slightly above the national rate of 1,143. A higher prevalence of disability helps to explain this modest extra demand. The area’s population is smaller than the national average, yet the absolute number of requests remains high, showing that need is concentrated rather than spread across a very large group.
In the same year 1,240 adults aged 18–64 were in receipt of long-term care, or 613 per 100,000 people. This is around 15 per cent higher than the national figure of 533 per 100,000. Stockton-on-Tees is therefore converting requests into active care packages at a rate broadly in line with, and in some areas above, the national pattern.
The mix of provision is distinctive. Nursing placements are slightly below average (12.4 versus 13.8 per 100,000), but residential placements are notably higher (79.0 versus 60.6). Community services delivered through direct payments are 202.6 per 100,000, two-thirds above the England norm, suggesting a strong local culture of personal control. Conversely, support that is entirely commissioned by the council without user control is lower than average. Taken together, the figures imply that Stockton-on-Tees is both meeting need and encouraging service users to manage their own support where possible.
In 2025 only four working-age residents (1.98 per 100,000) sought formal help with assessments, charging or direct payments, below the national rate of 1.72–5.72 per 100,000. Low query levels may reflect clear local processes or, less positively, lack of awareness among service users. The council may wish to test whether information channels are reaching all groups.
Stockton-on-Tees has about 202,000 residents, roughly half the average size of an English upper-tier authority. Population density is 959 people per square kilometre, far below the urban average of 2,469, so services must cover a moderately spread community. The mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile is 5.2 compared with 5.9 nationally, and variability is high. A combination of pockets of significant deprivation and areas of relative affluence often translates into uneven health outcomes; the high disability rate is consistent with this profile.
A larger disabled population, allied to slightly above-average care uptake, points to sustained demand pressures. The preference for self-directed support is encouraging but may require continued investment in brokerage and monitoring to ensure quality. Higher residential placement use signals a need to review local step-down or supported living capacity, which could offer more community-based options. Finally, the low number of advice requests suggests that communication strategies should be checked so that disabled residents fully understand their rights and pathways into care.
Stockton-on-Tees faces a disability burden higher than the national norm, leading to greater reliance on adult social care. The council is responding with a mix that favours personal control yet still leans on residential provision. Attention to preventive health, accessible information and diversifying community services will be vital to manage future demand and improve outcomes.
✨ ✅ ❌Older People
Just like with Working Age people, knowing how many older people are requesting social care, how many people are recieving care and what percent of the population is 65+ helps understand need and social care provision at a top level.
Jamaican female, blind and in her 40s. She was in an emergency Bed & Breakfast with her Niece, who acts as her unofficial carer, she is unable to work but would like to go to University. She is receiving PIP but not the Daily Living Allowance which she applied for in June 2021. She is vulnerable and has a history of self harm so was assigned a rehab Support Worker. Vanessa supported her using the Chatbot to chase up her PIP Daily Living allowance application, after waiting for several months and they received a reply within a week but was awarded the lower rate.
Another Chatbot letter was sent to request an urgent assessment due to her vulnerability and this was action quickly by the LA. Vanessa also supported her to use the chatbot and ask the Social worker to be moved to a place that supports her needs and rights. As she was having to use a shared bathroom, toilet and kitchen in a place with drug/alcohol abusers and being blind with no carer, this left her vulnerable. The Chatbot was used again to raise this issue and after a few weeks she was successfully moved to a private property in another area.
This case study is based on real data from Croydon. Have a story to tell? Let us know, and we might display it here!
As above, it is important to see what type of care older people are being provided because it can help explain where additional work is needed.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The share of residents aged 65 or over has risen each year, from 18.4 % in 2019 to 19.4 % in 2023. England as a whole rose more slowly and then fell back to 18.5 % in 2023, so Stockton-on-Tees has moved from matching the national picture to sitting almost one point above it. The borough’s total population also grew, yet the older group grew faster. This suggests longer life spans, inward moves by retirees, or both. In a borough that is more urban, more deprived, and more unequal than the national average, an ageing profile can sharpen pressures on housing, health, and care.
In 2024 there were 4,980 requests for adult social care from people aged 65 +. This equals 2,460 requests per 100,000 older residents, just above the England rate of 2,438. The gap is small but matters because local demand is rising while many neighbourhoods already face high need linked to deprivation. A dense settlement pattern (959 residents per km² against 2,468 nationally) may also mean that more people with poor health live near services and can seek help, pushing request numbers upward.
Of those asking for help, 2,365 people (1,168 per 100,000) were receiving long-term support. Stockton-on-Tees therefore supports a larger share of its older population than England overall (1,003 per 100,000). The mix of care types is telling:
• Residential care is used a lot: 395 per 100,000, well above the national 250. In a borough with some low-income areas, this may show limited family resources for home-based care or a shortage of suitable housing to let frail residents stay at home.
• Nursing home use is lower than average (86 per 100,000 against 122). This could point to a tight local supply of nursing beds or to care decisions that favour residential homes without nursing.
• Community support managed through Council personal budgets is slightly above average (541 versus 508), and direct-payment-only packages are almost double the national rate (99 versus 55). Local teams may therefore be promoting personalisation, and families who can organise care themselves seem willing to do so.
• Council-commissioned community support is much lower than the national mean (30 versus 137). Together with the high direct-payment figures, this hints at a strategic choice to place responsibility with the individual or carer rather than commission large volumes of home care directly.
In 2025 the Council recorded only six formal help-seeking contacts about assessments, charging, or direct payments, giving rates below national averages. This low number could show that advice channels are clear, but it could also mean that some residents are unaware of their rights. Monitoring will be important as the older population keeps growing.
Stockton-on-Tees is ageing faster than England, and older residents already use care services at a high rate. Many of them rely on residential homes or on care they arrange themselves with public funds. If the local nursing sector stays small, pressure on residential places may grow, especially for more complex cases. Higher deprivation and uneven wealth can widen gaps between those who can manage their own support and those who cannot.
To prepare, the Council may need to: expand community care choices, review nursing bed capacity, strengthen advice so that all groups understand direct payments, and work with housing partners on age-friendly homes. Doing so could keep more older people safe and independent even as numbers continue to rise.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Stockton-on-Tees had about 18,200 unpaid carers. This equals 9,250 carers for every 100,000 residents, higher than the England rate of 8,204. The borough therefore relies on a slightly larger share of its people to give unpaid help to family or friends. Stockton-on-Tees is a medium-sized, mostly urban area with 202,000 residents and a population density below the national average. Living costs and health need often vary sharply between neighbourhoods, as shown by a wide deprivation spread. Such mixed social conditions can raise care need inside families and push more people into unpaid roles.
Thirty-four per cent of local carers said in 2024 that they have as much social contact as they want. The national figure is 29 per cent. More carers here feel able to keep friendships and community links. A compact urban setting may make travel to clubs, shops and relatives easier. Yet two out of three carers still wish for more contact, so loneliness remains common.
Three carers in four (74.8 per cent) also feel it is easy to find information about services, well above the England average of 59.3 per cent. This suggests that council pages, voluntary groups and health teams give clear guidance once carers start looking. Good signposting can cut stress and help people claim the right support early.
Use of direct payments stands out. Stockton-on-Tees records 719 direct payment packages per 100,000 people, almost five times the national rate of 150. Carers appear willing to manage personal budgets and buy flexible help themselves. Support delivered to the cared-for person, such as respite breaks, is also slightly higher than average at 96 per 100,000 against 70 nationally, showing some focus on giving carers time off.
In contrast, only 101 residents per 100,000 receive “information, advice and other universal services”, well below the England rate of 339. Because many carers feel they already know where to look for help, formal signposting may be requested less often. It could also mean that people who are not yet in touch with adult social care miss out on light-touch support that might prevent burnout.
The high share of unpaid carers, together with middling deprivation, points to strong but possibly fragile informal care networks. Direct payments are popular and should continue to be offered quickly and with clear guidance, as they appear to fit local preference for choice and control. However, the low take-up of universal advice suggests a gap before carers reach the stage of formal assessment. Extending outreach through GP surgeries, community centres and digital platforms could bring earlier, lighter help to new carers and stop needs from becoming urgent.
Most carers feel well informed and many keep good social contact, but the absolute numbers wanting more support are still large. With population growth and an ageing profile, demand is likely to rise. Maintaining respite options, championing carer-friendly employers and targeting the most deprived wards will help Stockton-on-Tees safeguard the health and wellbeing of its extensive carer community.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Stockton-on-Tees has 32 community-based adult social care services and 50 residential care homes. When the figures are adjusted for the local population of about 202,000 people, this equals roughly 15.8 community services and 24.7 residential homes per 100,000 residents. Nationally the average works out at around 16.9 and 24.1 per 100,000 respectively. In other words, community provision is a little thinner than the England norm, while residential provision is slightly richer. The balance hints at a care market that still leans towards beds rather than support at home. Given the borough’s higher deprivation and its relatively compact urban form, demand for residential places may be driven by households with limited space or resources to care for relatives at home.
Only 15.9 per cent of local providers are rated ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’, below the national figure of 16.8 per cent. This suggests that, despite a modest supplier base, quality control is holding up. Stable or improving quality can also lessen pressure on hospitals, because well-run services tend to prevent avoidable admissions.
The workforce picture is mixed. Turnover stands at 24.3 per cent and the vacancy rate at 8.4 per cent—almost identical to national averages. However, 82.5 per cent of employers report greater difficulty in recruiting staff, and 70.5 per cent find retention more challenging, both a few points above England values. These responses suggest that headline vacancy numbers may mask mounting strain. Stockton-on-Tees’ mean deprivation score of 5.2 (below the England score of 5.9) points to a labour pool with more limited disposable income; low pay in care work may look less attractive next to better-paid jobs in logistics or industry situated along the Tees corridor.
With about half the average local-authority population, Stockton-on-Tees runs a smaller care economy, yet it serves a community that is more deprived and more varied in wealth than the national norm. Only 14 per cent of residents live in rural areas, so travel times between homes and services are short, which can partly offset the lower number of community providers. Population density of 959 people per square kilometre is far below the England mean of 2,469, meaning neighbourhoods are urban but not congested; this can support domiciliary work schedules but may still leave gaps in the outer estates.
The data point to three priorities. First, widening community-based capacity would bring Stockton-on-Tees in line with national levels and help more people stay at home. Second, sustained effort is needed on pay, training, and career pathways to relieve looming recruitment and retention pressures before they raise vacancy rates. Third, continued vigilance on quality is essential, because a small market can feel a sharp impact if even one large provider slips. Targeted support for providers in the most deprived wards—where demand is greatest and staffing is hardest—could maintain the borough’s positive quality profile while meeting rising need.
✨ ✅ ❌Historically, hospital delays have been due in large part, to the inability to discharge patients into social care. We no longer have DTOC data, but we can still look at the number of hospital delays and the number of facilities requiring improvement.
CQC, as the regulator of health and social care services in England, is beginning to rate Local Authorities on their social care provision. Understanding the CQC rating of a local authority should be used as the most official evaluation of service care provision. For example, a low rating may indicate a need for improved service delivery, while a high rating may suggest that existing services are effective.
Hospital delays can have a significant impact on patient care and outcomes, and are in large part the result of not having invested sufficiently in social care. Understanding the number of hospital delays in a local authority can be a sympthom of a poorly working social care sector. For example, a high number of hospital delays may indicate a need for improved discharge planning and coordination, not enough places to discharge people to, lack of sufficient staff to assess patients, or a lack of care providers.
Discharge-Ready-Date-monthly-data-webfile-November-2024, Tab UTLA Acceptable
This metric illustrates how long patients are delayed in hospital before being discharged. Higher average delays mean that patients are spending more time in hospital than necessary, which can lead to increased costs, reduced bed availability, and poorer patient outcomes. This also means that the beds are not available for people that might desperately need them for life-saving procedures.
Discharge-Ready-Date-monthly-data-webfile-November-2024, Tab UTLA Acceptable
Delayed Transfer of Care (DTOC) refers to the time between a patient being declared medically fit for discharge and actually leaving the hospital. Understanding the number of DTOCs in a local authority can help identify precisely where the social care system is failing.
Unfortunately, this dataset is no longer being generated.
Reablement is a short-term service that helps people regain independence and confidence after a period of illness or injury. Understanding the number of people receiving reablement services can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving reablement services may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a low number of people receiving reablement services may suggest that existing services are effective.
Coming soon!
Service user satisfaction is a key indicator of the quality of social care services. Understanding service user satisfaction can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a low level of service user satisfaction may indicate a need for improved service delivery, while a high level of service user satisfaction may suggest that existing services are effective.
It is important to note that the people surveyed are already receiving service care. Notably absent are all the people that are not yet lucky enough to be receiving care.
Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey, question 1
Access to information is crucial for people using social care services to navigate the system effectively. Understanding how easy it is for people to get information can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people finding it difficult to get information may indicate a need for improved communication and support services, while a low number of people finding it difficult to get information may suggest that existing services are effective.
Would you like social care information? Try our Chatbot!
Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey, question 13
An ombudsman is a person who has been appointed to look into complaints about companies and organisations. The number of cases received and decided by the Ombudsman is important because it provides insight into the volume of complaints about a local authority’s social care services and how effectively these complaints are being addressed. The number of cases received indicates the level of dissatisfaction or systemic issues within a council’s care provision, while the number of cases decided shows how efficiently the Ombudsman is processing and resolving complaints. A large gap between the two may suggest delays in complaint handling, leaving individuals waiting.
It is important to note that contacting the Ombudsman is widely considered a last resort, often discouraged, and sometimes penalised.
Almost every Stockton-on-Tees resident (99.7 %) is discharged from a hospital that the CQC rates as “acceptable” for the local authority. The figure is well above the England mean of 89 % and signals good joint working between the NHS and social care in choosing safe destinations for patients. Despite this, 19.3 % of all discharges experience a delay, markedly higher than the national 12.3 %. The average time lost per delayed discharge is 0.63 days, slightly shorter than the 0.70-day national average. In practice, delays are frequent but usually brief. A growing population – up by about 5,500 residents since 2019 – may be putting extra strain on reablement, intermediate care and community packages, so that more people wait, yet once support is in place they move on quickly.
Just over three in five respondents (63.2 %) report being satisfied with their care and support, a touch below the England average of 64.7 %. A separate NatCen survey suggests 57 % of local respondents are dissatisfied, hinting at polarised views. Stockton-on-Tees sits in a slightly more deprived position than England overall (mean deprivation decile 5.2 vs 5.9) and shows a wider spread of deprivation across its neighbourhoods. Higher need in the poorest wards may be lowering headline satisfaction, especially if staff must spread resources thinly.
Two-thirds of service users (66.1 %) feel it is easy to find information, just under the national rate of 68.2 %. For a densely populated but geographically compact area (959 residents per km²) this small gap may reflect the complexity of navigating multiple providers rather than distance. Improving digital signposting or single front-door advice could close the gap and ease demand on professionals who currently have to repeat information face-to-face.
The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman received about 10 complaints in 2024 (4.94 per 100,000 people) and reached decisions on roughly eight (3.95 per 100,000). Receipt is a little above the England rate of 4.45, but decision rates are slightly lower than the national 4.12. Taken together, residents are willing to raise concerns, yet fewer cases progress to a formal decision, perhaps because the council resolves issues early. Monitoring themes in these complaints could deliver quick service-level improvements.
Strengthened discharge planning is a clear success, but sustaining it will require parallel investment in community capacity so that the high volume of short delays does not become longer waits as the population grows. Slightly lower satisfaction and information-access scores are likely symptoms of uneven deprivation and rising demand rather than systemic failure. Targeted outreach in the most deprived neighbourhoods, better public information and learning from complaint themes should lift perceptions.
Overall, Stockton-on-Tees demonstrates firm foundations in safe hospital discharges and responsive complaint handling. Future quality improvement efforts should focus on reducing the number of delayed discharges, sharpening communication, and tailoring support to areas of highest deprivation to improve resident experience across the board.
✨ ✅ ❌We need to understand how much money is being spent on social care, and what this provides. First, let’s look at values reported by local authorities.
Gross Current Expenditure (2023-24) captures the total operational cost of services, indicating overall demand and financial commitment. This includes spending on residential and non-residential care, direct payments, and other social care services. Understanding gross expenditure helps assess the scale of social care provision and financial pressures on local authorities.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
This figure reflects the net cost of social care provision to the local authority, indicating the extent of financial support required to meet service demands. Understanding net expenditure helps assess the financial sustainability of social care services and the commitment level of the local authority.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Client Contributions, otherwise known as “Charging”, show the extent to which service users offset costs. Understanding client contributions helps assess the financial burden on individuals and the local authority, highlighting the need for fair and equitable funding mechanisms.
It is important to note that not all local authorities charge for social care services, and that charging can be a barrier to accessing care for some individuals.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Income from NHS reflects external funding and collaboration with the health sector. Understanding NHS contributions helps understand the level of integration between health and social care.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Budget Cuts indicate financial constraints and potential service reductions. Sometimes, budget cuts are explicit, but other times, they aren’t mentioned directly, making tracking this information difficult to access.
As such, this data is not consistently available for all local authorities.
Access Social Care have made a series of Freedom of Information requests about the government’s own assessment of sufficiency of social care funding. The social care sector is in crisis, yet the government refuses to disclose how it determines funding sufficiency. Without transparency, there is little accountability, no independent scrutiny to improve decision-making, and government trust heavily impacted. Evidence from across the sector indicates a severe funding gap, but without open data, meaningful reform remains impossible. True solutions require honesty about the scale of the problem to then work towards a fair and equitable funding model.
The government appears to know how much money is required for social care, and yet they are not making that known.
✨ ✅ ❌?
In 2024 Stockton-on-Tees spent about £43,604 for every 100,000 residents on adult social care. With a mid-2023 population close to 202,000, this equates to roughly £88 million in gross terms. The figure sits about nine per cent below the England mean of £47,758 per 100,000. After deducting income, net expenditure is £34,566 per 100,000 people, or around £70 million in cash, which is fifteen per cent under the national average.
Two income streams stand out. Client contributions reach £9,038 per 100,000 residents (around £18 million in total), a quarter higher than the national rate. By contrast NHS transfers contribute £7,209 per 100,000 (about £15 million), eight per cent below the England mean.
Stockton-on-Tees therefore relies more on payments from service users and less on direct NHS support than most areas. Higher client income can arise when councils ask people with moderate needs to pay more, when means-testing thresholds are applied strictly, or when take-up of chargeable services is high. While this improves the council’s balance sheet, it may deter some residents from seeking help early, storing up higher costs later.
Lower overall spending does not automatically signal efficiency. The borough’s population is smaller than the English average but is still fairly dense for a shire-unitary setting (959 residents per square kilometre, four times the rural norm). Density can reduce travel time for home-care staff, yet it can also mask sharp contrasts in need: the local deprivation score (5.21) is worse than England’s 5.9, and variation across neighbourhoods is large. Areas of high deprivation tend to see more complex health problems at younger ages, which in turn drive demand for social care. If expenditure is below what such need requires, residents may experience unmet or delayed support.
The relatively low share of NHS funding could reflect weaker integration with the local Integrated Care Board, or simply a lack of joint packages such as Continuing Healthcare. Strengthening these links might ease pressure on the council budget and provide smoother hospital discharge pathways.
Long-term population growth has been modest, rising about three per cent since 2019. This should have allowed spending to keep pace with inflation. However, the gap with national averages suggests that Stockton-on-Tees has not matched wider spending uplifts. Comment from local officials that “the government appears to know how much money is required for social care, and yet they are not making that known” points to uncertainty in medium-term funding, making cautious budgeting more likely.
If the council maintains lower expenditure while leaning on client charges, monitoring of unmet need becomes vital. Surveys of carers, waiting-time data, and rates of emergency admissions for conditions amenable to social care would help reveal whether current budgets are sufficient. A stronger partnership approach with the NHS could unlock extra resources and improve outcomes. Finally, targeted investment in the most deprived neighbourhoods may prevent escalating costs later by catching problems early.
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