This page provides an overview of social care in Tameside, 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 Tameside. 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
An age-standardised rate of 20.8 % means roughly one in five residents report a disability. With about 235,000 people living in the borough in 2023, this equals almost 49,000 disabled residents. The national share is lower, at 17.6 %. A high disability rate is often linked to poorer health, long-term conditions and earlier onset of illness. In Tameside this sits alongside marked deprivation (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 3.6 compared with the England average of 5.9). Deprivation can limit access to good housing, secure work and preventive health care, all of which raise the risk of disability.
In 2024 the council recorded 2,430 requests for support from working-age adults. This is 1,036 requests per 100,000 people, slightly below the England figure of 1,143. Fewer requests, despite higher disability, can point to unmet need. People may not know they are entitled to help, or they may rely on family and community networks. Lower demand can also reflect local triage and advice services that resolve simple issues without a formal request, yet the very small numbers logged for information or charging queries in 2025 (all below 6 requests per 100,000) suggest that under-recording is possible.
1,175 working-age adults were in long-term care in 2024, giving a rate of 501 per 100,000—again a little below the national average of 533. The pattern of support differs from England.
•\tCommunity services delivered through a council-managed personal budget are common in Tameside (345 per 100,000 versus 267 nationally). This route keeps people at home and can fit well in a dense urban area where services are close together.
•\tDirect payment only, part direct payment, residential and nursing options are all taken up less often than across England. The low residential rate (36 per 100,000 compared with 61) may show a policy preference for community support, but it may also hint at limited local bed supply.
The balance of high personal budgets and low direct payments suggests that many residents want choice but still need help to manage care funding. It may be harder for people in more deprived households to organise their own care arrangements.
Tameside is almost entirely urban (only 1 % rural land) and fairly dense, yet slightly below the England population density. Urban settings usually make community care easier to deliver. However, deprivation can restrict informal support, and the council’s budget is likely under pressure. If demand rises as the population grows—numbers have increased every year since 2019—current service levels may not be enough.
The borough has a larger disabled population but records fewer formal care requests and slightly fewer people in long-term support than the national norm. This gap could mean unmet need. Strengthening outreach, self-referral pathways and benefits advice may draw hidden need into view. Keeping people in their own homes aligns with both user preference and cost control, yet the high use of council-managed budgets shows many residents still require substantial guidance. Investment in brokerage, personal assistant recruitment and digital care management tools could make direct payments more viable, freeing social work time and increasing choice.
Monitoring whether lower residential and nursing rates reflect genuine preference or capacity limits is important. If placements are scarce, people with complex needs might be waiting longer or moving away from their communities. Regular audits of unmet need, together with continued focus on prevention and health improvement in deprived neighbourhoods, will help Tameside deliver equitable support to its sizeable disabled population.
✨ ✅ ❌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 + in Tameside has stayed almost flat, rising from 17.5 % in 2019 to 17.7 % in 2023. England moved from 18.4 % to 18.5 % in the same years. Tameside therefore has slightly fewer older people than the nation, yet the gap is small and steady. The total population grew by about 4 ,700 in five years, so the absolute number of older residents is still rising. At the 2021 Census the borough held 2,240 people per square kilometre, showing a tight urban area where services are near to most homes. Deprivation is high: the mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile is 3.6, well below the England average of 5.9. Higher deprivation often links to poorer health and earlier need for care.
In 2024 adult social care received 6,410 requests from people aged 65 +. This equals 2,732 requests per 100,000 residents, 12 % above the national figure of 2,438. The higher rate, despite a smaller older share, suggests that older people in Tameside reach the point of asking for help sooner or more often. Long-term illness linked to deprivation, limited family support, or fewer accessible community facilities could all play a part.
A total of 2,860 older residents were getting long-term council-funded care in 2024, or 1,219 per 100,000. The England average is 1,003, so provision is 22 % higher. Tameside is therefore not only seeing more requests; a larger share converts into an ongoing service. This points to good access but also to heavier workload for care teams.
Residential care stands out. At 360 per 100,000 it is 44 % above the England rate of 250. Nursing care, by contrast, is low (72 per 100,000 against 122 nationally). This may signal limited local nursing home beds, or that people move straight from hospital to residential care without the nursing label. Community support shows a mixed picture. Caseloads managed by the council through personal budgets are high (756 per 100,000 versus 508), while packages paid fully through a direct payment are half the national rate. Older residents may feel less able to handle the paperwork of direct payments, or advisors may steer them toward council-managed options.
Very few older people asked for help with assessments, charging or legal issues in 2025 (raw counts all below 15). With a population of nearly 235,000 this equates to less than six contacts per 100,000 for any single category. The low contact rate could mean information is clear and processes smooth, but it might also hide unmet need if people are unaware of their rights.
Higher demand and service take-up, set against high deprivation, suggest that prevention and early intervention should stay a priority. Extra focus on community options could ease pressure on residential beds and align with national policy. Improving the take-up of direct payments may give residents more choice and reduce long-term cost. Finally, continued monitoring of nursing capacity is needed to ensure that people with complex needs can stay within the borough.
✨ ✅ ❌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 about 8,941 out of every 100,000 Tameside residents were unpaid carers. With a mid-year population close to 231,000, this equals roughly 20,700 people. The national rate was lower, at 8,204 per 100,000. Tameside therefore relies more on family and friends for day-to-day support than England as a whole. High deprivation (average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 3.6 compared with the national 5.9) and limited incomes may make formal care harder to afford, so relatives step in. The borough is almost completely urban and fairly dense, which can help people reach the person they care for, yet it also means many households combine work, childcare, and caring in small living spaces.
Only 26.9 per cent of local carers said they had as much social contact as they wanted in 2024, below the England average of 29.3 per cent. Isolation can harm mental health and increase the risk of carer breakdown. At the same time, 58.5 per cent felt it was easy to find information about services, just under the national figure of 59.3 per cent. Clear advice is important, yet it does not appear to translate into better social connection, suggesting that knowing about help is not the same as receiving it or having time to use it.
Care Act data for 2024 show few carers receiving personal budgets or direct payments (rate recorded as zero). Only about 19 carers per 100,000 (around 45 people) got council-commissioned support, well below the England rate of 102 per 100,000. Universal services such as information or signposting reached 309 per 100,000 (about 720 people) and sit near the national average. No-direct-support cases, where the carer is assessed but receives nothing tangible, are lower than average (43 versus 130 per 100,000). Respite delivered to the cared-for person stands at 60 per 100,000 (about 140 people), again below the England rate of 70. Overall, Tameside provides light-touch information to many carers but gives intensive or paid support to comparatively few.
The borough already has more unpaid carers than most areas, and many feel cut off from social life. If formal support remains modest, hidden strain will grow as the population edges upward year on year. Commissioning more flexible respite, expanding direct payments, and linking carers to low-cost community activities could ease pressure. Given the high deprivation score, financial advice and benefit checks will be key. Because the district is compact, neighbourhood hubs could bring together health, social care, and voluntary groups so that practical help is not only easy to find but also easy to use. Targeted action now can protect both carers and the people they support, reducing future demand on acute services.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Tameside has 24 community-based adult social care services and 35 residential care homes. With a 2023 population of about 235,000 people, this works out at roughly 10 community services and 15 residential homes per 100,000 residents. Across England the average is closer to 17 and 24 per 100,000. The shortfall is therefore structural, not just a reflection of Tameside’s smaller population. The borough is densely built-up but highly deprived, scoring 3.6 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation decile scale compared with a national mean of 5.9. Fewer local providers in an area where need is likely to be high can translate into longer waiting times, limited choice for families, and heavier workloads for the organisations that do operate.
One in five Tameside providers (20.3 %) are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, above the England average of 16.8 %. When capacity is thin, managers may find it harder to release staff for training or to invest in service upgrades, which can hold back quality. Urban deprivation can also make recruiting experienced personnel more difficult, again affecting inspection outcomes.
The annual staff turnover rate stands at 25.4 %, almost identical to the national figure. However, 69.5 % of providers report that keeping staff has become more challenging, and 81.3 % say the same about hiring. These proportions are slightly higher than the regional norms and suggest that providers feel insecure about their labour supply even though actual vacancies are lower than average—5.6 % in Tameside against 8.4 % nationally. A low vacancy rate can sometimes mask underlying strain: posts may simply not be advertised because budgets are tight, or because providers doubt they can fill them.
Limited provider numbers mean that existing services carry a larger share of local demand. High workload, in turn, can push staff to leave, feeding the perception that recruitment and retention are getting harder. When organisations struggle to stabilise their workforce, inspection ratings can slip, as continuity of care and adherence to procedures suffer. In Tameside this sequence is visible: scarce supply, above-average deprivation, worries about staffing, and a higher proportion of sub-standard ratings line up along the same chain.
Supporting market growth looks important. Commissioners could explore targeted incentives for new entrants, especially in community support, where the gap per 100,000 residents is widest. At the same time, quality-improvement grants or peer-support schemes may raise inspection results among existing providers. Workforce measures—such as apprenticeships linked to local colleges, subsidised travel for care workers, or retention bonuses—could help keep experienced staff in post and make recruitment drives more successful. Given the borough’s high urban density and deprivation, addressing social care shortages may also relieve pressure on hospitals and other public services.
In summary, Tameside’s care market is small relative to its population and faces quality and staffing challenges that are interconnected. Strategic action to expand capacity and strengthen the workforce would likely bring rapid gains for residents who depend on safe, reliable care.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Tameside is a compact, mainly urban authority of about 235,000 people. Population density (2,239 residents per km²) is close to the national figure, yet the borough is markedly poorer: its average deprivation decile is 3.6, compared with England’s 5.9. A growing, densely settled and disadvantaged population usually presses hard on health and care services, so strong performance must be seen against that background.
Timely discharge is central to both patient experience and hospital efficiency. In November 2024, 96.4 per cent of Tameside residents left hospital from a provider judged acceptable by the Care Quality Commission, well above the England average of 89 per cent. Only 6.3 per cent of discharges were delayed, almost half the national rate of 12.3 per cent, and the average length of any delay was 0.56 days against 0.7 days nationally. These figures suggest that local health and social care teams are coordinating discharge planning effectively. For an area with high deprivation, such flow usually points to robust joint-working arrangements, adequate community capacity and clear protocols for step-down care.
The annual survey shows that 64 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the care and support they received, a shade below the national mean of 64.7 per cent. Satisfaction has therefore held steady rather than improved. Deprivation can dampen survey scores, so parity with the England average may in itself reflect solid frontline practice. At the same time, a separate NatCen question found that 57 per cent expressed dissatisfaction. While the two questions are not directly comparable, the gap hints at polarised views and the possibility that certain groups—perhaps younger disabled adults or carers—feel services are not meeting their needs.
Access to information seems slightly easier in Tameside: 69.5 per cent of people using services said it was easy to find out about support, compared with 68.2 per cent nationally. Good sign-posting can reduce avoidable demand and may partly explain the smoother discharge performance noted above.
In 2024 the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman received 3.0 complaints per 100,000 residents, lower than the England rate of 4.45. Using the local population, that equates to roughly seven complaints. However, 4.26 per 100,000 (about ten cases) reached a decision stage, slightly above the national figure of 4.12. Fewer people are complaining, yet a higher share of those cases are complex enough to proceed. This pattern can arise when local resolution is generally effective but the remaining disputes are entrenched, often involving funding or eligibility in an area with tight budgets.
The headline CQC quality-improvement rating for Tameside is not yet published, yet supporting indicators point to a system that manages acute flow well, provides reasonably clear information and maintains average satisfaction despite socioeconomic headwinds. Rising population and entrenched deprivation mean demand will almost certainly continue to climb. Maintaining present discharge performance will therefore require sustained investment in community reablement and home-care capacity. The mixed picture on satisfaction suggests that service leaders should focus on groups reporting dissatisfaction, using co-production to shape care packages that feel more personalised. Finally, although complaint volumes are low, the higher proportion progressing to decision indicates a need for earlier dispute resolution, perhaps through strengthened advocacy and clearer communication of eligibility rules.
If these areas are addressed, Tameside is well placed to convert solid operational results into perceptible quality improvements for residents.
✨ ✅ ❌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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Tameside spends about £48,300 for every 100,000 residents on adult social care. When this figure is scaled up to the 2023 population of roughly 235,000, the gross bill is close to £113 million. The national average is slightly lower at £47,800 per 100,000. The borough therefore commits marginally more money per head than most councils, a pattern that fits an area with higher need.
Although total spend sits above the England mean, net spend – the amount the council must find after income is taken off – is a little below the national benchmark (£39,600 versus £40,500 per 100,000). Two income streams explain the gap. First, client contributions reach £8,700 per 100,000, roughly 18 % higher than the England rate. Second, NHS contributions stand at just over £9,000 per 100,000, likewise above average. In cash terms those two sources bring in around £20 million and £21 million a year respectively. Tameside is therefore relying more heavily than many authorities on charges to people who use services and on pooled budgets or continuing-health-care transfers from the NHS. The approach eases pressure on the local levy, yet it also means the council is sensitive to changes in charging policy and in NHS funding rules.
The borough’s need profile is shaped by disadvantage. Average deprivation sits in the 4th decile, well below the England mid-point of the 6th. More deprived residents tend to develop long-term conditions earlier, so demand for social care rises while taxable wealth remains low. Tameside is also densely settled (2,240 residents per km²) and almost entirely urban. Home-care routes are therefore short, which helps keep unit costs down, but urban living is often linked with increased mental-health and substance-misuse pressures that drive up complexity. Population growth has been modest – roughly 2 % since 2019 – so spending increases are more likely to be need-led than simply population-led.
Higher gross spending per head is consistent with a community where frailty and ill-health appear earlier in life. The council may also be investing in preventative or reablement services that inflate the gross figure but aim to avoid more expensive packages later. The relatively small population means economies of scale are limited, so fixed costs weigh more heavily on the per-capita calculation.
Effective joint working with the local clinical commissioning structures seems to secure above-average NHS cash. At the same time, the charging policy captures more income from clients. Together, these inflows narrow the gap between Tameside and England on the net measure. The strategy contains council costs, yet it risks inequity if residents are charged more than peers elsewhere or if NHS programmes change.
Current funding levels appear broadly aligned with need, but the mix of resources could prove fragile. A shift in NHS contributions or a decision to soften client charges would widen the funding gap by several million pounds. Given the borough’s deprivation profile, a sudden rise in care fees might deter people from seeking support, increasing hidden need. Continued close integration with health partners, transparent charging, and investment in early-help services will be vital to maintain both financial sustainability and equitable access.
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