This page provides an overview of social care in Swindon, 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 Swindon. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The age-standardised share of residents who say they are disabled is 16.9 %. The England figure is 17.6 %. Swindon is therefore slightly below the national level. This fits with a town that is a little less deprived than average, because poor health and deprivation often go together. It may also reflect a fairly young population: the town has grown from 232 000 in 2019 to 238 000 in 2023, and many of the new residents are of working age.
In 2024, 1 860 adults aged 18–64 asked the council for care or support. This equals 780 people for every 100 000 residents, well below the England mean of 1 143 per 100 000. A lower rate can point to better general health, but it can also point to need that is not coming forward. Swindon is less dense than most large towns (1 014 people per km2 against 2 469 for England), so some residents may find it harder to reach services.
Of those who asked, 1 120 were receiving a service during the year. This is 470 per 100 000 residents, again below the national rate of 533 per 100 000. The difference is small, yet it suggests that Swindon converts a similar share of requests into actual support; the gap with England is seen mainly at the first step (asking for help).
The pattern of support in Swindon is mostly community-based. Only 6 per 100 000 receive nursing home care and 71 per 100 000 receive residential care, both below national levels. By contrast, 243 per 100 000 use a community personal budget managed by the council, close to the England figure of 267. Direct payments, which let people manage their own care, stand at 92 per 100 000, also close to the average. This mix points to a policy that favours independence at home and may suit a relatively young disabled population. Low use of nursing beds may also reflect limited local supply.
Fresh data on help-seeking shows very small numbers, yet the pattern is clear. Requests about charging (8 per 100 000) and general information (5 per 100 000) are higher than the England means. Residents seem keen to understand costs and choices. By contrast, requests for an assessment or a care plan are low. Good online guidance or early signposting by GPs could explain this, but it may also hint that some people do not progress to a full assessment stage.
Demand for adult social care among working-age disabled people is lower than average in Swindon, both in requests and in open cases. A younger, slightly less deprived population offers one explanation. Yet pockets of deprivation exist, and the town is growing. The council should keep outreach strong to ensure that people in more remote or deprived areas know how to ask for help. Continuing to invest in community and self-directed support fits local preference and could prevent higher-cost residential demand later on. Monitoring waiting times for assessments will be useful, because a low request rate can mask unmet 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
In 2019 only 15.5 % of people in Swindon were aged 65 plus. By 2023 the share had crept up to 16.3 %. England as a whole stayed near 18.5 %. Swindon is therefore younger than the country. A fast-growing workforce, a city-style density of 1 014 residents per km², and a relatively low rural share of 14 % all help to explain this.
The upward trend is steady, adding about 0.2 percentage points each year. If this carries on, the gap with England will narrow, and the absolute number of older residents will keep climbing because the whole population is rising (231 934 in 2019 to 238 417 in 2023).
In 2024 the council recorded 4 580 requests for support from people aged 65 plus. This equals 1 921 requests per 100 000 residents, well below the national figure of 2 438. The lower rate is partly the result of having fewer older people, yet even after adjusting for population the demand still looks light. Possible reasons are healthier older adults, strong informal support, or a lack of awareness about council help.
Only 1 590 older residents received long-term services in 2024, a rate of 667 per 100 000. Nationally the rate is 1 003. The gap here is wider than the gap in requests, which hints that a smaller share of those who ask for help end up with a long-term package. This could point to effective short-term or preventive work, but it could also signal unmet need.
Care settings follow the same pattern. Nursing home use (109 per 100 000) sits just below the England average (122), while residential home use (149) is far lower than the average of 250. Community-based support shows the largest differences, especially for council-commissioned care, which in Swindon stands at only 10 per 100 000 against 137 nationally. Swindon leans towards personal budgets, yet even these are below national norms. Limited commissioned provision may reflect a tight local market or a policy choice to promote self-directed care; either way, it suggests the council should keep an eye on supply and quality.
Swindon’s mean deprivation decile is 6.2, a little less deprived than England, but the spread of scores is wide. Some neighbourhoods may therefore feel the pressure of ageing sooner than the headline figures imply. The younger overall profile can mask pockets where frailty is already high.
Current demand is modest, yet the steady rise in the 65 plus population means pressure will build. Lower use of residential care gives the council room to keep investing in home and community support, which usually costs less and fits well with an urban geography. However, the low level of commissioned community services could become a risk if family or voluntary support weakens. Planning should focus on:
• growing the home-care market,
• making information about support clearer, and
• monitoring conversion rates from request to long-term care to spot hidden need.
Swindon starts from a younger baseline, yet ageing is gaining pace. Today’s lighter demand should not lead to complacency. A balanced approach that strengthens prevention while widening access to formal care will help the borough stay ahead of future pressure.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Swindon had about 18,300 unpaid carers, equal to 7,838 carers for every 100,000 residents. The England rate was 8,204 per 100,000. Swindon therefore has a slightly smaller share of carers than the country as a whole. The town’s population is a little younger and less rural than England on average, and its overall deprivation is also a little lower. These factors can limit the need for informal care, because younger, less-deprived, urban communities often rely more on paid support or have shorter travel distances to services.
In 2024, 33.2 percent of Swindon carers said they had as much social contact as they wanted, compared with 29.3 percent across England. A more compact, well-connected town centre may help carers meet friends or join local groups. At the same time, 60.6 percent felt it was easy to find information about help, slightly above the national figure of 59.3 percent. This suggests that council sign-posting and advice lines are working reasonably well.
The mix of formal support points to a clear local pattern. Direct payments to carers were 73 per 100,000, only half the national rate of 150. Part-direct payments and managed personal budgets were also far below the England figures. By contrast, council-commissioned services reached 182 per 100,000, almost double the national rate, and 78 per 100,000 carers benefited from respite arranged for the person they look after, again slightly higher than average. A large group—185 per 100,000—received no direct support at all, above the England figure of 130.
This shows that Swindon leans towards in-house or commissioned support rather than giving carers cash or personal budgets to arrange help for themselves. High use of commissioned services can be positive when local providers are strong, yet it may also limit choice and flexibility. The higher share of carers with no direct help hints at unmet need or at least a gap between what is on offer and what carers want.
Only one safeguarding case that involved a carer was recorded in 2025, equal to 0.42 cases per 100,000 people. The national rate was 0.75. Numbers are very small, but the data suggests that serious harm to carers is rare in Swindon.
Swindon has fewer carers than average, yet they report better social contact and good access to information. The main concern is the balance of support. Reliance on commissioned services and the low take-up of direct payments may not suit every carer, especially if demand rises as the population grows. Encouraging personal budgets, widening advice on how to use them, and checking why many carers still receive no direct help could improve flexibility and keep satisfaction high. Continued work with community groups will also be important, as social contact appears to be a clear strength worth protecting.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Swindon has an estimated 33 community-based adult social care services and 47 residential care homes in 2024. With a mid-2023 population of about 238,000, this equals roughly 14 community services and 20 residential homes for every 100,000 residents. Across England the average local authority hosts around 17 and 25 services per 100,000 people. Swindon therefore offers a thinner network of providers than is usual. The town is less densely populated than many urban areas (1,014 people per km² compared with an England average of 2,469), so travelling distances inside the borough are modest; even so, a smaller pool of providers can limit choice, especially for people who need very specific support.
The share of services rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate” is 10 per cent, well below the national figure of 17 per cent. This suggests that, although there are fewer providers, most perform to a good standard. A slightly lower level of deprivation in Swindon (average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 6.2 versus 5.9 in England) may help here: providers may face fewer complex social problems and may find it easier to maintain quality. However, the borough shows above-average variation in deprivation, so pockets of need could still exist and should be watched closely.
Staff stability is mixed. Annual turnover stands at 26.0 per cent, almost identical to the South West average. Yet providers report greater difficulty keeping and finding staff: 77 per cent say retention is now “more” or “much more” challenging, and 89 per cent say the same for recruitment. Vacancy rates back this up, at 11.9 per cent compared with 8.4 per cent across England. The local jobs market may be pulling workers into higher-paid sectors, while housing costs in a mainly urban area can deter potential recruits from neighbouring rural districts. These pressures risk capping the effective capacity of services even when registered places appear sufficient on paper.
Swindon’s combination of good quality scores and a lean provider base places the system at a delicate point. If the population keeps growing at the recent pace of roughly 1 per cent a year, demand could soon outstrip supply. Workforce shortages make rapid expansion hard, and a long spell of vacancies may erode quality in time. The council and Integrated Care Board may wish to:
• Support existing providers to widen their offer, for example through shared training or help with digital care records.
• Promote local recruitment campaigns that stress career progression and cost-of-living support.
• Encourage new entrants, especially community-based services that help people remain at home, to raise overall provider density closer to the national level.
• Target outreach in the most deprived neighbourhoods to be sure that the current high quality is felt evenly across the borough.
By acting now, Swindon can protect its strong quality record while preparing for the extra demand that a growing, and gradually ageing, population will bring.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Swindon is a medium-sized authority. Its 2023 population stands at about 238,000, well below the England average of 377,000. People live at 1,014 per square kilometre, so the town is urban but not as crowded as many English areas. Average deprivation sits in decile 6, a little better than the national picture, yet the spread of deprivation is wide. This means some neighbourhoods feel much poorer than others. Such contrasts can shape very different experiences of care.
Almost every Swindon resident (99.9 per cent) leaves hospital into a trust that the Care Quality Commission judges acceptable. The England figure is 89 per cent. This strong partnership with local hospitals shows good planning and joint working.
However, 13.9 per cent of those discharges are classed as delayed, slightly above the national 12.3 per cent. The average wait per delayed discharge is 0.64 days, a little shorter than the 0.70 day national mean. In other words, delays happen a bit more often, but they do not last as long. The pattern may point to short-term staffing or equipment gaps that services resolve quickly, yet still cause extra paperwork and stress.
Sixty-two per cent of adult social care users say they are satisfied, two points below the England average. The gap is small but notable, given Swindon’s relatively low deprivation. A second survey from NatCen shows 57 per cent were dissatisfied, suggesting that feelings about care are mixed and may be polarised between areas of advantage and need.
Only 65 per cent of people find it easy to get information about services, compared with 68 per cent nationally. Limited information may partly explain why overall satisfaction is modest: when people cannot see what help should be available, expectations fall and confidence drops.
In 2024 the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 1.68 complaints per 100,000 residents in Swindon, far below the England rate of 4.45. A similar rate was decided. Low complaint levels can mean good performance, but when set beside lower satisfaction and issues with information, another reading is possible: residents may not know how, or feel able, to raise formal concerns. Improving signposting could lift both complaint numbers and learning from them.
The population has grown by roughly 6,500 in five years. Even moderate growth can stretch a medium-sized authority, especially when need is clustered in its more deprived pockets. Swindon’s wide spread of deprivation may require highly targeted interventions rather than a single borough-wide approach.
Maintaining excellent hospital discharge pathways should remain a priority, while examining the causes of the small but frequent delays. Better public information, in plain language and through trusted local channels, is likely to raise both satisfaction and appropriate complaint use. Finally, service planners should look closely at neighbourhood data, making sure new capacity reaches the areas that growth and deprivation make most vulnerable.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Swindon’s gross adult social care bill was close to £105 million, which works out at roughly £438 for every resident. The average for English councils is £478 per head, so Swindon spends about eight per cent less than its peers. After taking income into account the net cost to the council falls to about £374 per resident, again slightly below the national norm of £405.
Client contributions bring in £20 million, or £48 per 100 000 people, compared with £73 nationally. Lower contributions can reflect a younger population with fewer people in chargeable residential care, a local charging policy that is more generous, or lower take-up of services. NHS funding covers around £18 million, equal to £77 per 100 000, almost in line with England. This suggests normal levels of joint packages with health partners and indicates that the gap in overall spend is not being filled by extra health money.
Swindon has grown steadily from 232 000 residents in 2019 to 238 000 in 2023, a rise of nearly three per cent. The town is less densely populated than the average English authority and has a slightly lower level of deprivation (mean decile 6.2 versus 5.9). Such factors often mean lower demand for intensive social care. However, the spread in deprivation scores is higher than average, pointing to pockets of need that may not be visible in headline figures. A mainly urban geography (only 14 per cent rural) can help with service delivery costs but can also disguise isolated communities inside estates.
The modest gap of £40 per resident between Swindon and England could suggest efficient commissioning, but it might also hint at unmet need. The council’s smaller share of income from service users implies fewer people are in fee-paying settings. That could be positive, if residents are healthier or supported informally, yet it could also mean that people who would benefit from care are not coming forward or are being supported for shorter periods.
Swindon’s growing population will place extra pressure on budgets even if per-person costs stay steady. A younger age profile may delay the impact for a few years, but demand for adult social care nearly always rises with population. Because gross spending is already below the national average, further savings may be hard to find without affecting service quality. Maintaining effective partnerships with the NHS, targeted outreach in deprived wards, and regular reviews of charging policies will be important if the council wishes to keep services both fair and financially sustainable.
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