This page provides an overview of social care in Telford and the Wrekin, 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: Telford and Wrekin
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: Telford and Wrekin
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 Telford and the Wrekin. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
In Telford and Wrekin 20.5 % of residents report a long-term disability once age is taken into account. The England rate is 17.6 %. This gap suggests that daily life and public services in the borough must support a larger share of disabled people than the average council. The higher figure is likely to be linked to two local factors. First, deprivation is worse than the national picture (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.8 compared with 5.9). Poorer areas often see higher rates of ill-health. Second, the local economy is still shaped by former heavy industry, which is known to leave a legacy of long-term health problems in working-age adults.
During 2024 there were 2,125 requests for support from adults aged 18–64. Set against the mid-2023 population, this is about 1,107 requests per 100,000 residents, just below the England mean of 1,143. Demand therefore sits close to the national norm even though disability is more common. This mismatch may point to unmet need, or to informal and voluntary networks absorbing some of the pressure. It may also reflect a relatively compact, mainly urban geography (only 16 % rural), which can make community help easier to access without formal assessment.
Of the adults who asked for help, 925 (around 44 %) were in receipt of a formal care package during 2024. This equates to roughly 482 people per 100,000 residents, below the national mean of 533. Again, the lower uptake, when set against a higher disability rate, may signal that eligibility thresholds are being applied strictly, or that residents prefer less formal solutions.
The mix of support is strongly community-based. Six out of ten supported adults (560 people) hold a council-managed personal budget for community care, while a further 240 use direct payments in full or in part. Only 110 adults are in residential or nursing settings. These figures suggest an active policy of “home first”, which aligns with national ambitions to maximise independence and control.
Latest 2025 data show very small numbers of working-age adults asking for help with assessment, care planning, or safeguarding. Per-capita rates sit below national averages in every area except charging queries, where the borough records 6.8 enquiries per 100,000 compared with 5.7 nationally. The greater interest in charging may link to local cost-of-living pressures: average earnings in the area are lower than in many parts of England, and residents may be more anxious about the financial tests applied to care.
The borough faces a double challenge: a rising population and a disability rate that is already above average. For now, requests for support and numbers in formal care are not exceptionally high, but any future growth could stretch capacity. The strong use of personal budgets is positive, yet it demands skilled brokerage and market-shaping to ensure suitable services are available, especially for people living in the most deprived pockets of the borough. Continued outreach, clear information on charging, and close monitoring of conversion rates from request to support will be essential to avoid hidden 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
The share of residents who are older people has inched up from 17.4 % in 2019 to 17.7 % in 2023. England as a whole moved from 18.4 % to 18.5 % over the same years. Telford and Wrekin therefore remains younger than the country, even though both areas are ageing.
At the same time the total population grew from about 182,000 to nearly 192,000. Because growth in the working-age and child groups has been stronger than growth in the 65+ group, the rise in the older people share has been slow and has now levelled off. A younger age profile can mean lower current demand for intensive social care, but it also means that the area must plan now for a larger older group in the coming decade.
The borough has 639 usual residents per square kilometre, far below the England mean of 2,469. Lower density can make it harder to deliver care close to home, especially in its more rural pockets. Deprivation is higher than average (mean decile 4.8 versus 5.9), and variation across neighbourhoods is wide. Pockets of need and poorer health may therefore appear even while the overall share of older people is modest.
For 2025 we have five small samples of older people asking the council for help:
• Assessments: 1 person (0.52 per 100,000, national 1.72)
• Care plans: 1 person (0.52 per 100,000, national 1.39)
• Charging queries: 13 people (6.77 per 100,000, national 5.72)
• Information seeking: 4 people (2.08 per 100,000, national 2.60)
• Safeguarding: 3 people (1.56 per 100,000, national 1.21)
The very small raw numbers mean each person changes the rate a lot, yet some patterns are still useful. Fewer requests for assessments and care plans per head may point to a lower underlying need because of the younger age mix. It may also hint at barriers to access, such as awareness of services or transport issues in less dense areas.
By contrast, enquiries about paying for care are a little higher than the England rate. This fits with higher deprivation: residents who do cross the financial threshold for charges may require more advice. Safeguarding contacts are also above the mean, suggesting that when risk is present, partners are alert and willing to report.
The current demand profile gives the council a window to prepare. Work to widen take-up of early assessments could prevent later crisis calls. Communication on funding rules appears important, as charging queries are common. Given lower density, expanding digital information and mobile outreach could ease access.
Safeguarding activity shows good vigilance but also signals that some older residents live in unsafe or exploitative situations. Linking safeguarding teams with community groups in deprived neighbourhoods could tackle root causes.
Finally, the steady rise in the older share, though slower than national, is certain to continue. Long-term workforce and housing plans should start now, so that by the time the cohort grows, services are ready and fair across all parts of Telford and Wrekin.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Only one in four local carers (25.4 %) say they have as much social contact as they would like. The England average is close to one in three (29.3 %). The gap suggests that many carers here feel lonely or cut off. Telford and the Wrekin is more urban than most places in England, yet its towns sit inside a wide borough, with a population density of 639 people per km² against an England figure of 2 469. Distances between neighbourhoods, limited public transport and caring duties can all restrict chances to meet friends or take part in community life. Lower income also matters: the borough is more deprived than average (mean deprivation decile 4.8 versus 5.9 nationally). Carers in deprived areas often struggle to pay for social activities or respite care, making isolation more likely.
By contrast, 63.3 % of carers feel it is easy to get information about support, higher than the national rate of 59.3 %. The council and local voluntary groups have invested in digital portals and a single telephone advice line, which may be paying off. Good signposting is important because almost half of carers nationally do not receive any funded service. Easy access to guidance can therefore soften the effect of limited budgets.
The dataset does not yet include local counts or rates for direct payments, personal budgets or respite. Nationally, the largest block of help is “information, advice and other universal services”, at 339 recipients per 100 000 adults. If Telford and the Wrekin follows the same pattern, most carers will rely on light-touch support rather than cash or commissioned respite. Local monitoring should confirm this, as a rising population—from 182 000 in 2019 to almost 192 000 in 2023—will lift demand across all service types.
Rapid population growth of 5 % in four years, coupled with higher deprivation and a wide spread of wealth (deprivation score standard deviation 2.9 versus 2.3 nationally), creates mixed needs. Some neighbourhoods can draw on strong informal networks, while others have few assets. The low social-contact score hints that informal support systems are under strain, perhaps because more people are combining low-paid work with caring. Without enough respite or community groups, carers can burn out, leading to earlier use of health and social care by the cared-for person.
Improving social contact should now be a priority. Small, low-cost actions—such as travel vouchers, pop-up daytime groups and online peer forums—could widen reach in both urban estates and semi-rural villages. Because carers already find information fairly easily, the council can build on its existing advice platform to promote these offers. Collecting full local data on direct payments, personal budgets and respite will help target resources. Regular reviews are needed, as the borough’s growing and ageing population is likely to expand the unpaid carer pool year by year.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Almost one quarter of local services are rated “needs improvement” or “inadequate” (24.3 %). Across England the share is 16.8 %. This gap of 7.5 percentage points means that people in Telford and Wrekin have a higher chance of using a care home or home-care agency that is below the line set by the regulator. With about 192,000 residents, the figure suggests that roughly one in every four places is falling short.
Several local factors may help explain the position. The borough is more deprived than the national norm (average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.8 versus 5.9). Services in poorer areas often care for people with greater health needs and may have fewer private-pay clients, making it harder to invest in staff training and buildings. At the same time the population has grown by nearly 10,000 since 2019, so demand is rising.
The staff turnover rate in 2023/24 was 26.7 %, matching the West Midlands average and only fractionally below the England figure. Even so, the absolute level is high: one in four workers left their job in a year. The vacancy rate stands at 9.2 %, again above the national picture (8.4 %).
Employers report growing difficulty in both hiring and keeping staff. More than 81 % say recruiting is “more” or “much more” challenging than before; 70 % say the same for retaining staff. These shares are two points higher than the Midlands average, showing that the local labour market is tight. Competition from retail, warehousing and the nearby defence sector may draw workers away, while care pay remains modest.
Population density is 639 people per square kilometre, far below the England mean of 2,468. Care staff therefore travel longer distances than in big cities, adding non-paid time to a day’s work and making the job less attractive. Only 16 % of residents live in rural areas, yet the spread-out small towns still bring transport costs. Rising fuel prices hit both providers and staff mileage claims.
Quality ratings and workforce metrics move together. High turnover and vacancies can lead to over-use of agency staff, weaker teamwork and less time for training, which in turn push inspection scores down. In Telford and Wrekin, the share of services below standard is larger than the extra vacancy margin, hinting that recruitment issues may be more severe in the poorest neighbourhoods, where needs are also highest.
The council and Integrated Care Board may wish to target support at homes and agencies in high-deprivation wards, linking grants or fee uplifts to staff development plans. Better public transport, help with mileage, and promotion of care apprenticeships could ease hiring. Stable staffing is likely to lift inspection grades, so sustained action on workforce should feed through to better quality and safer care for local people.
✨ ✅ ❌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 all people who leave hospital go to a care provider judged acceptable by the Care Quality Commission. The local rate is 99.5 per cent, well above the England figure of 89 per cent. Only 4.4 per cent of these discharges are delayed, compared with a national 12.3 per cent. When a delay does occur it lasts on average 0.17 days, against 0.7 days for England. These results suggest that the council and the NHS work together smoothly. The area’s population is about 192,000, roughly half the size of an average English upper-tier authority, so co-ordination may be easier. Low rurality (16 per cent) also helps, because services and transport are closer together.
Two out of three survey respondents (66.5 per cent) say they are happy with their care and support, a little higher than the England average of 64.7 per cent. A separate national study by NatCen shows 57 per cent of local residents report some dissatisfaction with social care. The two figures do not clash: a person can feel satisfied with the help they personally receive yet still think the wider system needs work. This mixed picture hints at rising public expectations rather than poor day-to-day delivery.
Good information makes a difference. In 2024, 71.8 per cent of people using services said it is easy to find out about help, above the national 68.2 per cent. The borough’s dense urban core, good broadband coverage and the habit of signposting through one-stop shops are likely factors.
Telford and the Wrekin is slightly more deprived than England on average (mean Index of Multiple Deprivation decile 4.8 versus 5.9) and shows wider inequality within its borders. Deprivation can increase need for social care, so the low delay figures are notable. They suggest that current capacity matches demand, at least for now.
Population density is 639 people per square kilometre, far below the England mean of 2,469. Lower density can raise travel costs for care staff in the small rural fringe, yet the service still performs well. The council may be using route-planning software or clustered visits to keep efficiency high.
No local figure is recorded for complaints sent to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Nationally, authorities receive about 4.45 complaints per 100,000 residents. If Telford and the Wrekin were near the average, this would equal eight to nine cases a year. Tracking this number would give a fuller view of quality.
The strong discharge pathway is the key success. Maintaining it will need continued joint planning and enough home-care staff, especially as the population is growing each year. Satisfaction is above average but not high enough to silence concern. Clear public information and a visible response to complaints will help build trust. The combination of urban layout and pockets of deprivation calls for targeted investment in neighbourhoods where people still struggle to access support. By focusing on consistent quality across all wards, the council can turn today’s good performance into long-term resilience.
✨ ✅ ❌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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The council has not released its own numbers for gross or net expenditure, client payments, or NHS transfers in 2024. Only the national averages are on record. The gap in local data makes it hard to judge exact spending levels, but the absence itself tells us something. Either the figures are still being checked, the reporting method has changed, or the authority is cautious about sharing them. In any case, service leaders, carers, and residents lack a clear public view of the money now going into adult social care.
Telford and the Wrekin’s population has grown steadily, from about 182,000 in 2019 to almost 192,000 in 2023. Growth of this pace means more older people, more working-age adults with disabilities, and more unpaid carers who need support. Without current spending data it is difficult to see whether funding has kept up with that rising demand.
Local need is also shaped by deprivation. The area’s average deprivation decile is 4.8, lower than the England mean of 5.9, so it is more deprived. A wider spread of scores (standard deviation 2.85) shows sharp contrasts between neighbourhoods. Deprivation can raise the likelihood of poor health and earlier onset of care needs. If spending does not match this pressure, residents may face longer waits for assessments or limited care packages.
Across England, councils in 2024 spent about £47.8 million per 100,000 people on gross adult social care and £40.5 million net. If Telford and the Wrekin followed that pattern, a population of 192,000 would imply roughly £92 million gross and £78 million net. These are only guide figures, yet they give a sense of what an average-spending council might lay out.
If the true local spend is lower than these amounts, services may be stretched, with fewer hours of home care, tight eligibility rules, or greater reliance on unpaid carers. If spending is higher, the council may be trying to offset deprivation or invest in prevention, for example through re-ablement or community support. Only the real numbers will confirm which path is being taken.
The growth in population and the area’s mixed deprivation profile suggest that demand will not ease soon. Clear, timely budget data would let managers plan workforce, providers judge market stability, and citizens hold decision-makers to account. It would also help track the effect of any national reforms, such as changes to charging or the arrival of a new fair cost of care payment system.
Until the figures are published, the council could share interim indicators—such as hours of home care delivered or waiting times for assessments—to give the public a picture of how money translates into activity. Doing so would support transparent, needs-led decisions and build trust at a time when many residents see social care as a vital, yet uncertain, local service.
The community is growing and has higher deprivation than the national norm, yet up-to-date spending numbers are not in the public domain. Releasing those figures, and linking them to demand trends, is essential for sound social care planning in Telford and the Wrekin.
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