This page provides an overview of social care in Waltham Forest, 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: Waltham Forest
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: Waltham Forest
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 Waltham Forest. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The age-standardised rate of disability is 16.7 per cent, just below the England average of 17.6 per cent. Waltham Forest has a young, dense population (7 173 residents per km², almost three times the national figure) and a higher level of deprivation. A younger age mix helps keep the disability rate down, yet deprivation tends to push need up. The two forces partly cancel each other, leaving the borough close to the national position.
In 2024 the council recorded 2 090 requests for support from working-age adults. This equals 757 requests for every 100 000 residents, well below the England rate of 1 143. A low request rate may show effective early help, but it can also signal barriers to access or limited awareness of support in a deprived, diverse community.
Despite the modest number of requests, 1 750 working-age adults received long-term care during the same year. That is 634 service users per 100 000 people, higher than the national figure of 533. In other words, a larger share of those who ask for help end up getting a package. This suggests that eligibility thresholds are not overly strict or that people come forward only when their need is already clear.
Use of institutional care is lower than average: nursing placements stand at 9.1 per 100 000 (England 13.8) and residential at 45.3 (England 60.6). By contrast, community-based options are common. Direct payments alone support 141.3 residents per 100 000, and personal budgets managed by the council support a further 371.4; both rates are well above national levels. The borough is therefore succeeding in keeping disabled adults at home while giving them more control over their support.
Request reasons logged in 2025 reinforce this picture. Queries about charging are the most frequent (5.1 per 100 000), almost matching the national pattern, which reflects the financial strain felt by many households in a low-income area. Legal issues and complaints (1.8 per 100 000) are over twice the England rate, hinting at complex cases and the need for clear communication. Other advice-seeking categories remain broadly in line with, or slightly below, national averages.
The borough already leans towards community support and personalisation, which fits its young, dense urban profile. Continuing this direction should help contain costly residential placements. However, the gap between the low request rate and the high service-receipt rate points to possible hidden demand. Targeted outreach in deprived neighbourhoods and better information in community languages could uncover unmet need. Because charging questions and legal complaints are relatively common, strengthening financial advice and transparent decision-making would likely improve user confidence and reduce disputes.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Between 2019 and 2023 the share of residents aged 65 plus rose from 10.0 % to 10.7 %. This rise is slow but steady and is happening while the total population is falling by about 5 000 people. Waltham Forest therefore has more older people than before, even though the borough as a whole is getting smaller. The national picture is very different: around 18–19 % of people in England are 65 plus. The gap shows that Waltham Forest is still a young borough, helped by high inward migration of working-age adults and by very dense housing (7 173 people per km², almost three times the England mean). The borough is also more deprived than average. Both factors shape demand for adult social care.
In 2024 there were 4 140 requests for care from residents aged 65 plus. This equals 1 500 requests per 100 000 older people, far below the England rate of 2 438 per 100 000. A younger age structure explains part of the gap, but the lower rate suggests that many older residents may rely on informal help from family or on universal health services before turning to the council. Deprivation can also act in two ways: it may increase need, but it can delay formal contact if people are unsure how to navigate the system.
The council supported 2 350 older residents in 2024, equal to 852 per 100 000, again below the England average of 1 003 per 100 000. Yet the mix of services looks different from the national pattern. Only 65 per 100 000 receive nursing home care and 152 per 100 000 are in residential care, both roughly half of national levels. By contrast, community-based help is more common. Direct payment-only packages and part direct payments are slightly above England rates, while managed personal budgets in the community stand at 549 per 100 000, clearly higher than the national figure of 508. This suggests a local policy that favours supporting people to stay at home, either through personal budgets or direct payments. In a dense urban area with limited care-home space, this approach can match both resident preference and supply constraints, but it places extra weight on community health teams, unpaid carers and suitable housing.
Data for 2025 show small numbers but give a hint of the issues that prompt contact. Requests for help with assessments, charging and safeguarding are close to national rates, while other categories are slightly lower. Even with fewer formal care packages, older residents still need guidance on how to pay for care, understand their rights and keep safe. This underlines the importance of front-door advice services.
The proportion of older residents is rising every year, and the borough’s deprivation score is worse than average. If unemployment or low income among working-age relatives increases, the pool of informal care may shrink. At the same time the council may face tighter funding as its population falls. Lower use of nursing and residential provision can reflect a positive “home first” strategy, but it can also mask unmet need if people delay entry until crisis point. Continuous monitoring of hospital admissions from home and of carer stress levels will help to spot early warning signs.
Waltham Forest should keep expanding community services that allow older residents to remain at home, but it also needs to secure enough residential and nursing capacity for those who cannot be safely supported in the community. Outreach in deprived neighbourhoods can encourage earlier requests for help, preventing crises. Finally, as the share of older people edges upward, the council will need to align its workforce, housing plans and public health work to ensure that the borough stays a good place to grow old.
✨ ✅ ❌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 6,573 people in every 100,000 residents said they give unpaid care. The England picture is higher, at a little over 8,200 per 100,000. Waltham Forest is a young and fast-moving borough, with fewer older adults than many places and a falling head-count since 2019. These facts can lower the need for long-term care inside the home. Dense city housing may also mean that neighbours, friends, or paid staff step in, so fewer people record themselves as unpaid carers. A third reason could be under-reporting: some residents might not see what they do as “care” and so do not come forward for help.
Just under one third of local carers (32.9 per cent) say they have as much social contact as they want. This is better than the England score of 29.3 per cent and suggests that many carers in Waltham Forest can still meet friends or family, even while they look after someone. Strong public transport links and the tight street pattern may make it easier to get out of the house compared with rural areas.
The borough gives direct payments to carers at a rate of 368 per 100,000 people, more than twice the national rate of 150. Direct payments put money straight into the carer’s pocket and let them choose what help they buy. High use of this tool hints at a council that prefers flexible, person-led support.
Yet other forms of help are thin. Only seven people in 100,000 receive simple information or advice, far below the England level of 339. Respite or other breaks that are arranged through the person who is cared for reach 25 per 100,000, also under the England mean of 70. These gaps fit with the next finding: many carers struggle to find out what is on offer.
Only 54.2 per cent of carers feel it is easy to get information about services, compared with 59.3 per cent across England. Low use of advice services and the high level of deprivation in parts of the borough may both play a part. People with less money or lower digital skills often need extra help to search for support.
In 2025 the council logged two new adult social care episodes for carers, equal to 0.72 per 100,000 residents and close to the national average. The very small figure may show that most work with carers starts through other routes, such as direct payments, rather than through a formal episode in the record system.
Demand for unpaid care is smaller than in many places but the high density and higher deprivation mean each caring role can be hard. The borough’s strength is in offering cash payments that let carers design their own help. The weak point is access to clear advice and to short breaks. Boosting on-line and face-to-face information, and widening respite services, would balance the current focus on direct payments and support the wellbeing of carers who already feel pressed for time.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Waltham Forest has 37 community-based adult care services and 44 residential care services. These numbers are below the England averages of about 64 and 91. When we adjust for population, the gap is still clear. There are about 13 community services and 16 residential services for every 100,000 local residents, while England has roughly 17 and 24. In a borough of 276,000 people with very high density, this may mean less choice for families and longer travel for staff. The shortfall may reflect the high land price in London, where large new homes or day centres are hard to build. It may also show that some city providers serve bigger groups than is common in rural areas, so fewer sites can meet the same level of need.
The share of services rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate” is 11 per cent. Nationally the rate is almost 17 per cent. Despite having fewer providers, the borough keeps standards above the England norm. Strong local commissioning and close links between the council and providers may help. More deprived communities often face weaker quality, yet Waltham Forest, which ranks more deprived than average, breaks that pattern. This suggests that local oversight and staff skills matter at least as much as affluence.
The staff turnover rate in 2023/24 is 19 per cent, almost identical to the England figure. However, vacancies stand at 12.5 per cent, well above the 8.4 per cent national rate. High living costs in London, plus competition from retail and hospitality, may deter new workers. Even so, only 56 per cent of employers say it is harder to keep staff, compared with 68 per cent across England, and 68 per cent report problems in recruiting, below the national 80 per cent. This mix hints that once workers join, many stay, perhaps helped by good transport links and a strong local support network. The real strain is finding new people willing to start.
The borough is completely urban and three times as dense as the country as a whole. Travel times between clients are short, so one community team can cover more people. This may partly explain the lower provider count. Yet high deprivation raises care need and can increase the workload for each service. If vacancies stay high, existing staff may feel pressure, and good quality ratings could slip.
The data point to a need for more capacity rather than better inspection. Supporting new providers to enter the market, perhaps through smaller urban sites or shared facilities, would widen choice. Action on the workforce gap is just as vital. Help with housing costs, clear career paths and links with local colleges could cut vacancies. Keeping quality high while demand grows will then be more likely.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Recent figures suggest that adult social care and health partners in Waltham Forest are moving in a positive direction. Rapid hospital discharge, average public satisfaction, and a modest level of complaints all point to services that, on the whole, meet need. That said, gaps around information and the particular pressures of a dense, deprived, urban area show that improvement work cannot pause.
Almost all local people who leave hospital, 99.4 per cent, do so to an “acceptable” provider, well above the England rate of 89 per cent. Only 1.7 per cent of discharges are delayed, compared with a national figure of 12.3 per cent, and the average delay is measured at 0.07 days against 0.7 days nationally. This suggests that the borough’s discharge pathway is well co-ordinated: community services appear ready, assessment is prompt, and transport or care package problems are quickly solved. The highly urban setting helps. With 7,173 residents per km²—three times the national average—travel times between hospital, home and community services are short, and a larger pool of providers can step in at short notice.
The Adult Social Care Survey records that 64.7 per cent of respondents are satisfied with their care and support, identical to the national mean. Given that Waltham Forest is more deprived (mean IMD decile 4.1 versus 5.9) one might expect lower scores, so parity here is encouraging. A separate NatCen item reports 57 per cent “dissatisfied”, hinting at mixed feelings among those who are harder to reach. The borough’s diverse population and higher deprivation can raise expectations and complicate communication, so listening to sceptical voices remains important.
Only 63.1 per cent of service users feel it is easy to locate information about support, below the 68.2 per cent England figure. This matters because poor sign-posting can mask unmet need: residents may not ask for help or may rely on emergency routes that are more costly. High density and linguistic diversity may make conventional leaflets or websites less effective, underlining the need for community-based advice lines and face-to-face outreach.
The council received 4.35 complaints per 100,000 residents, slightly under the national 4.45, and only 2.17 per 100,000 were taken to a decision, about half the England rate of 4.12. Fewer decisions can indicate quick local resolution, but it can also point to under-reporting where residents are unaware of their rights or find processes daunting. Linking this with the lower information score suggests that some people may not escalate concerns even when dissatisfied.
Waltham Forest’s population has gently dropped from 281,015 in 2019 to 275,980 in 2023, yet demand remains high because of density, deprivation and zero rural space. These characteristics mean services face concentrated need in small geographic areas. The current discharge success shows what integrated working can achieve, but sustaining it will need continued investment in community rehabilitation and home-care teams. Improving sign-posting, perhaps through multi-language digital tools and local champions, could raise satisfaction and surface hidden demand. Finally, monitoring complaint pathways will help ensure that the quieter voices in this diverse borough are not overlooked.
Waltham Forest demonstrates strong operational performance on timely discharge and stable user satisfaction despite socio-economic challenges. The main opportunity for quality improvement lies in clearer, more inclusive information and in keeping feedback channels open so that success is matched by transparency and equity.
✨ ✅ ❌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 2024 financial year Waltham Forest’s gross adult social care spending stands at £40,972 for every 100,000 residents. The England mean is £47,758 per 100,000. This puts the borough about fourteen per cent below the national level. After taking away income, net spending is £36,877 per 100,000, nine per cent lower than the England mean of £40,472.
Two main outside income streams are lower than average. Client contributions amount to £4,095 per 100,000 residents, while the national figure is £7,286. NHS contributions are £4,606 per 100,000, compared with £7,878 nationally. Taken together, outside money is roughly forty-three per cent below the England mean. As a result the council has to rely more on its own budget to keep services running.
Waltham Forest is a dense, urban borough with more than 7,100 people per square kilometre, almost three times the national figure. Dense areas can sometimes gain savings because travel times are short and services are close together. This may partly explain why spending per head sits below the England mean.
At the same time the borough is more deprived than average: its mean deprivation decile is 4.1, while England’s is 5.9. Deprivation often leads to poorer health and a need for care at a younger age. Lower client contributions fit this picture; many residents have limited wealth, so the council collects less income from fees. That reduces the total cash available for care, not because need is lower but because the local population is less able to pay.
NHS contributions are also low. This may point to weaker joint funding agreements with the local Integrated Care Board, or to fewer continuing health-care cases being approved. Either way, the gap pushes more cost pressure back on the local authority.
The resident count has slipped from 281,015 in 2019 to 275,980 in 2023. A falling population can slow growth in demand, yet the change is only two per cent over four years. Any saving from a smaller population is likely outweighed by rising complexity of need linked to deprivation and an ageing cohort who wish to stay in their own homes in an expensive housing market.
Spending that is consistently below the national mean, alongside lower external income, suggests limited headroom for service expansion. If need continues to grow, the council may have to make sharper choices about eligibility, increase its own contribution, or agree stronger pooled budgets with the NHS.
Given the low level of client fees, raising charges would have limited effect and could deter people from seeking help. A more fruitful route may be to secure a larger share of NHS funds by demonstrating how timely social care reduces hospital stays and readmissions. Efforts to streamline care in a dense urban setting, such as clustering home-care runs or using shared day facilities, could also stretch the existing budget further.
The data do not show a current cut in cash terms, yet they reveal a structural gap between need and resources. Addressing that gap will be central to delivering safe, person-centred care for Waltham Forest residents in the years ahead.
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