This page provides an overview of social care in Warrington, 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: Warrington
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: Warrington
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 Warrington. 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 in Warrington is 17.8 per cent. The England figure is 17.6 per cent. The difference is small, yet it hints that a few more residents here report a long-term limit on daily life. Warrington is not a very old area and it is a little less deprived than the national norm, so the slightly higher rate may come from past industrial work, local health risks, or better recording rather than from age or poverty alone.
In 2024 there were 3,100 working-age requests for support. This equals 1,460 requests per 100,000 residents, about 28 per cent above the national mean of 1,143. More people are coming forward for help than elsewhere. The high demand could reflect a well-publicised front door, good GP links, or rising need that has not been met by mainstream health services.
Warrington supports 1,215 working-age adults, or 572 per 100,000 people, again a little above the England mean of 533. The pattern of care tells its own story.
Most packages are in the community. Direct payments alone serve 115 per 100,000 residents, close to the national rate, while part direct payments are higher than average at 59 per 100,000. Care arranged and managed by the council through a personal budget is much higher than the norm: 327 per 100,000 compared with 267 nationally. Taken together, these figures show a strong local culture of personalised, home-based support. Fewer people rely only on council-commissioned services without choice (19 per 100,000 versus 58 nationally). This suggests that Warrington promotes individual control and that residents feel able to manage their own care.
Nursing placements for working-age adults stand at 21 per 100,000, slightly above average, but residential placements are only half the national rate (31 versus 61). This balance fits the policy goal of keeping people in their own homes when possible. Lower residential use may also link to the borough’s modest land area and good transport links, which make in-home support easier to organise.
In 2025 the council logged small but steady numbers of requests for advice on assessments, direct payments, and safeguarding. Rates for most themes sit close to national levels, although help with charging matters is lower. The data imply that people know how to seek guidance, yet financial questions may still cause confusion.
Warrington has about 212,000 residents, smaller than the average English local authority. Population density is 1,168 people per square kilometre, under half the national figure, giving care workers shorter travel times than in big cities. Deprivation is slightly below average, but inequality across neighbourhoods is wide. This mix can create pockets of high need even in a generally comfortable borough, matching the higher care request rate we see.
The data show a borough where disabled adults ask for help in greater numbers and often receive flexible, personalised support. Continued investment in community-based services, clear financial guidance, and targeted outreach in more deprived wards will help Warrington keep need from turning into crisis placements.
✨ ✅ ❌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 people aged 65 and over in Warrington has crept up every year, rising from 18.6 % in 2019 to 19.7 % in 2023. The national mean moved from 18.4 % to 18.5 % over the same period, so Warrington has stayed about one percentage point older than England as a whole. The gap matters because the town’s total population has held steady at roughly 212 000; more older residents therefore means a greater absolute number who may need care, even though head-count growth is flat. Warrington is less densely populated than the average English area and sits in a slightly less deprived band (mean decile 6.2). Together, these factors suggest a population that is relatively settled, with pockets of need rather than widespread deprivation, but one that is ageing more quickly than the national norm.
In 2024 there were 6 290 requests for support from people aged 65 +, equal to 2 962 per 100 000 residents. The England rate was 2 438, so local demand is about one fifth higher. The higher rate is unlikely to be explained by deprivation alone; the age structure and good awareness of how to contact adult social care are more plausible drivers. A relatively small rural hinterland means many residents live close to council offices and health services, which can reduce barriers to asking for help.
Warrington supported 2 515 older people with ongoing services in 2024, or 1 184 per 100 000, again comfortably above the national figure of 1 003. The mix of provision is distinctive. Nursing home use is high at 254 per 100 000, more than twice the England mean. Residential home use is slightly below average, hinting that local decision-makers favour nursing placements where needs are complex and reserve residential beds for lighter support. Community services delivered through council-managed personal budgets reach 662 per 100 000, considerably above the national norm, while purely commissioned community support is rare. Taken together, the data show an authority that leans towards either high-acuity institutional care or personalised community packages, with less use of standard residential or commissioned-only community offers.
Early 2025 figures on advice and triage are small but revealing. Enquiries about charging run at 4.24 per 100 000, just below the England value of 5.72, while information-seeking requests are in line with the mean. These modest numbers reinforce the picture of residents who generally know where to find guidance and who may have some financial resilience, consistent with the borough’s middling deprivation rank.
The steady growth in the older population and the higher-than-average rate of care requests point to sustained pressure on social care budgets. High use of nursing beds will require a stable, skilled workforce, and commissioning plans should ensure sufficient capacity to avoid hospital delays. The popularity of council-managed personal budgets suggests that residents value choice but may still want hands-on help with arranging care. Expanding brokerage and re-ablement services could maintain independence and slow future demand. Finally, continual monitoring of pockets of deprivation is advisable, as the wide spread of deprivation scores masks neighbourhoods where older people may face hidden hardship despite the borough’s overall relative affluence.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Warrington had about 19,000 unpaid carers. This equals 9,045 carers for every 100,000 residents. The England rate was 8,204. A higher rate can mean two things. First, more people may have health or support needs. Second, family and friends may step in before formal services do. The town’s population is smaller and less dense than the national picture, so neighbours and relatives may feel closer and more involved.
Forty per cent of local carers say they have as much social contact as they want, compared with only 29 per cent across England. This suggests that community links in Warrington work well. Streets are not crowded (1,168 people per km² versus 2,469 nationally), so carers may find it easier to keep in touch with friends and family nearby.
Sixty-four per cent of carers say it is easy to get information about services; the national figure is 59 per cent. The data show 1,674 signposting contacts per 100,000 people, almost five times the England rate. The council clearly puts effort into simple advice and first-stop help, and carers notice this.
Direct payments stand at 278 per 100,000, almost double the national level. This lets carers buy the help that suits them. Part direct payments are close to the national norm, yet council-managed budgets (0 recorded) and purely commissioned support (38 per 100,000) are well below average. Respite delivered to the cared-for person is also low (19 versus 70 per 100,000). In short, Warrington favours flexible cash support and strong signposting while offering fewer arranged breaks or packaged services.
Only one carer breakdown event was logged in 2025, or 0.47 cases per 100,000 people. England saw 0.75. Fewer breakdowns fit with the higher levels of social contact and guidance noted above, though the small numbers mean trends should be watched over time.
Warrington is a little less deprived than England on average but has wide gaps between neighbourhoods. Direct payments work well for confident carers, yet those in poorer areas may struggle to plan and buy help. Lower use of council-arranged respite could point to unmet need among carers who cannot organise their own breaks.
The data paint a mostly positive picture. Carers are many, yet they feel connected and informed, and crises are rare. The council should keep its strong advice offer and flexible payments. At the same time, it may need to grow respite and managed support so that every carer, especially in its most deprived wards, can take a break when needed.
✨ ✅ ❌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
In 2024 Warrington has 35 community-based adult social care services and 52 residential care homes. At first sight these totals look low when set against the England means of 63.8 and 91. After adjusting for population size the picture changes. Warrington records about 16.5 community providers and 24.5 residential providers for every 100,000 residents, almost identical to the national ratios of 16.9 and 24.1. The borough therefore supplies roughly the same volume of services per head as the country as a whole, even though its absolute numbers are smaller because its population is nearly half the national district average. A moderate population density of 1,168 people per square kilometre, well below the England mean, suggests that providers are spread over a wider area, so travel time rather than pure numbers may be the main access issue.
Only 11.5 per cent of Warrington’s inspected providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, compared with 16.8 per cent nationally. This five-point margin signals stronger overall quality. Slightly lower average deprivation in the borough (mean decile 6.17) may help explain the result; less deprived communities often have better funded organisations and an easier task in recruiting qualified staff. At the same time the high spread of deprivation scores inside Warrington indicates that some neighbourhoods still face notable disadvantage, so continued vigilance is needed to keep quality high in all parts of the borough.
The adult social care workforce turns over at 25.4 per cent a year, almost exactly in line with the England figure. Vacancies stand at 6.7 per cent, appreciably lower than the national rate of 8.4 per cent, implying that employers are filling posts more successfully than many peers. Despite this, eight in ten organisations report that recruiting staff has become more difficult and seven in ten say the same about retention; both views sit a little above regional averages. This apparent contradiction suggests that local providers are still managing to fill posts, but only by working harder – for example by widening search areas, increasing pay or using agency cover. Stable turnover and low vacancies therefore mask a growing pressure that could threaten performance if labour market conditions tighten further.
With a stable population of around 212,000, limited rurality (17 per cent) and moderate density, Warrington appears to have right-sized its provider base. Supply per head matches the national pattern, and the proportion of poorly rated services is lower than average. The main risk lies in workforce sustainability rather than sheer service numbers. Should recruitment difficulties continue, the area may see rising agency costs or future vacancies, which could erode the quality advantage now enjoyed.
Commissioners may focus less on expanding the number of providers and more on supporting the existing market to remain attractive to staff. Initiatives could include career development schemes, links with local colleges, and shared recruitment campaigns. Targeted support for pockets of high deprivation will also be important to ensure that quality remains consistent across the borough. Maintaining low vacancy levels will help preserve the current positive quality profile and secure timely access to care for residents.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
Warrington has about 212,000 residents, close to the size of a small city. It is less dense than the England average and, on the whole, a little less deprived. Yet the spread of deprivation is wide, so some neighbourhoods face much greater need than others. This mixed picture shapes both demand for care and people’s expectations.
The Care Quality Commission records show that 95.6 per cent of discharges go from Warrington’s hospitals to “acceptable” places, above the England figure of 89 per cent. Staff therefore seem good at finding a safe destination once a patient is ready to leave. However, 14.8 per cent of all discharges are delayed, and the average delay is 1.36 days, roughly double the national norm of 0.7 days. The contrast suggests that the bottleneck comes after a suitable setting is found. Community beds, home-care packages, or transport may be in short supply. Because Warrington is moderately urban, travel times are not the chief issue; workforce capacity and tight social-care budgets are more likely causes.
Sixty-three point three per cent of adult social-care users say they are satisfied with their support, a little below the England rate of 64.7 per cent. While the gap is not large, a parallel NatCen survey records 57 per cent dissatisfaction. Taken together, these two findings hint at uneven quality: some residents receive very good help, while others struggle. The strong variation in local deprivation may explain the divide, as people in poorer wards may meet more barriers.
Only 58.1 per cent of users find it easy to get information about services, ten percentage points below the national average. Information flow is often the first sign of good quality. The shortfall could reflect limited digital skills in older or poorer groups, or simply a lack of clear advice lines. Improving simple communication tools could therefore lift overall satisfaction at low cost.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 4.24 complaints per 100,000 residents and decided on 3.30, both slightly under national norms. A lower complaint rate can signal effective early resolution, but it can also point to low awareness of formal routes. Given the weaker figures on information access, the second explanation cannot be ruled out.
The data draw a consistent picture. Professional processes inside the hospital system work well, yet hand-over to community care is too slow. Residents report fair but not outstanding satisfaction, and many say they cannot easily find out what help exists. At the same time, few complaints reach the Ombudsman, perhaps because issues are solved informally, perhaps because people do not know how to escalate.
Quality improvement in Warrington is therefore less about clinical safety and more about flow, communication, and equity. Faster commissioning of home-care packages, better sign-posting, and targeted support in high-need neighbourhoods are likely to reduce discharge delays and raise satisfaction. With a stable population size, gains should be both measurable and sustainable.
✨ ✅ ❌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 2024 Warrington’s gross spend on adult social care is about £56.4 million for every 100,000 residents. With a population a little over 212,000, this equals roughly £120 million in total. The national figure is close to £47.8 million per 100,000, so Warrington is investing almost one fifth more than the average council. After grants and client income are taken away, net spend is near £45 million per 100,000 people, or about £95 million in cash terms. Again, this is well above the England mean of £40.5 million.
People who use services in Warrington pay around £11.4 million per 100,000 residents in fees and charges, equal to roughly £24 million overall. This is 56 % higher than the national norm of £7.3 million per 100,000. A larger client contribution may point to two things: more people in paid-for services, and a local charging policy that recovers a bigger share of care costs from those who can afford it. On top of this, the local NHS adds about £12.9 million per 100,000 residents, or close to £27 million altogether. The NHS contribution rate is nearly two thirds above the England average. Strong joint-working with health partners, for example on re-ablement or hospital discharge, could explain this extra funding.
Warrington is a medium-sized, relatively compact borough: 212,000 residents live at a density of 1,168 people per square kilometre, under half the national density. Only 17 % of the area is rural, so most services can be delivered within a short travel distance, yet costs remain high. Average deprivation sits in decile 6, slightly less deprived than England as a whole, but the standard deviation of 3.06 shows sharp contrasts between neighbourhoods. Some localities may need intensive support even while others are comparatively well off. This mix can drive up spending because the council must provide both targeted help in poorer wards and a broad offer elsewhere.
The high per-person spend may not signal inefficiency. A stable but ageing population, coupled with pockets of disadvantage, can push demand for long-term support and complex packages. Warrington might also pay higher provider fees to secure staff in a competitive labour market, especially as it sits between Manchester and Liverpool where care workers have other job options. Strong use of joint health and care services, shown by the large NHS contribution, can improve outcomes but often shifts costs into the social care ledger first. Finally, collecting more from clients lets the council keep its net spend below the gross level seen in similar authorities, maintaining service volume without breaching budget limits.
Above-average investment gives Warrington room to meet need, yet it raises questions about long-term sustainability if national grants fall. The reliance on client and NHS income means any change in charging rules or health budgets could leave a gap. Continued focus on early help, efficient commissioning and integrated teams will be vital to contain future pressure while maintaining the higher level of care that residents currently receive.
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