This page provides an overview of social care in West Berkshire, 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: West Berkshire
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: West Berkshire
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 West Berkshire. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The age-standardised share of residents who say they are disabled stands at 14.7 per cent, well below the England average of 17.6 per cent. This tallies with the area’s comparatively affluent profile (mean deprivation decile 8.1) and its healthy, economically active workforce. It also hints at a lighter overall burden of long-term illness. Nonetheless, disability is still a reality for more than one in seven local people, so demand for support remains significant.
In 2024 the council recorded 1,690 requests for care from adults aged 18–64, equal to 1,034 requests per 100,000 residents. Although this is nine per cent below the national rate (1,143 per 100k), the gap is narrower than the difference in disability prevalence. Put simply, a slightly smaller disabled population is generating almost as many calls for help as elsewhere. Living in a large rural county may contribute: informal support can be harder to organise when family, friends and services are spread out, so people may approach the council sooner.
The number of working-age adults with an open care package mirrors the national picture: 855 people, or 523 per 100k, compared with an England rate of 533 per 100k. West Berkshire’s pattern of provision is, however, distinctive. Only 58 per 100k use direct payments for fully self-managed community support, barely half the national figure (122 per 100k). By contrast, 361 per 100k rely on council-managed personal budgets, a third higher than the England norm (267 per 100k). This suggests that local residents prefer, or are guided towards, arrangements in which the authority organises care on their behalf. Geography again matters: finding and supervising personal assistants in sparsely populated areas is harder, so people may value the council’s brokerage role.
Use of nursing home beds is minimal at 6 per 100k, less than half the national average, reinforcing the area’s community-based ethos. Residential placements sit just below the benchmark. Taken together, these figures portray a service that keeps most disabled adults at home, but with strong council input.
During 2025 small absolute numbers of residents asked for specific help, yet, once adjusted for population, West Berkshire saw higher-than-average activity in every recorded advice category except carers. Requests about charging (8.6 per 100k versus 5.7) and information seeking (8.0 versus 2.6) stand out. Higher enquiry rates may reflect proactive signposting by local organisations, but they can also signal that people find processes complex. Safeguarding contacts are modest (1.8 per 100k) yet still exceed the national norm, possibly because professionals are vigilant rather than because abuse is more common.
The district has just 229 residents per square kilometre compared with 2,469 across England, underscoring its rural nature. Population growth is steady but modest, rising by about 2,500 in four years. Low deprivation and good health indicators can mask pockets of need: the standard deviation of deprivation scores is smaller than average, hinting at fewer very poor neighbourhoods, yet those who are isolated may struggle the most.
Lower disability prevalence gives West Berkshire some breathing space, but near-average care caseloads show that rurality and service expectations drive demand. Maintaining a strong council-managed support offer appears appropriate, although encouraging direct payments where feasible could widen choice. High volumes of advice enquiries highlight the importance of clear, accessible information, especially on charging. Finally, the area should continue to invest in community-based models that allow disabled adults to live at home, while ensuring that those far from services are not overlooked.
✨ ✅ ❌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
West Berkshire is growing slowly, from about 160,900 residents in 2019 to 163,400 in 2023. At the same time, the share of residents aged 65 plus has risen from 18.9 per cent to 20.1 per cent. England as a whole stayed near 18–19 per cent over the same years, so the local gap is widening. The district is also more rural (43 per cent of addresses) and far less dense than the national picture. These points mean that many older people live in small towns or villages, often at some distance from services. West Berkshire is one of the least deprived areas in England, so a good number of older residents may be able to pay for some support themselves.
In 2024 the council recorded 4,060 requests for care from people aged 65 plus. This equals 2,485 requests per 100,000 older residents, slightly above the England average of 2,438. A higher request rate fits with a growing older population and with rural living, where people often rely on formal help because informal networks are spread out. It can also show good local awareness of how to ask for help. Small 2025 figures on advice calls point in the same direction: requests about charging and information are above the national level, hinting that residents are active in planning their own care and checking costs.
By 2024, 1,565 older people were receiving long-term council-funded care, equal to 958 per 100,000—slightly below the national rate of 1,003. In other words, more people ask for help than end up with a funded service. Some unmet need is possible, but in a wealthy area many applicants may decide to self-fund after receiving advice.
The mix of services is distinctive. Nursing home use is high: 199 per 100,000 compared with 122 nationally. Residential home use is lower (187 versus 250). Community services paid fully or partly by direct payments are well below average, while council-managed personal budgets are a little higher than average. One likely reason is geography. Delivering home-care packages across a wide rural area is costly and hard to staff, so the council may lean towards either managed budgets—giving more control without long travel times for carers—or, when needs become complex, a nursing placement. Lower residential use suggests that many people either stay at home until they need nursing care or pay privately for standard care-home places that do not appear in council figures.
The steady rise in the older share of the population means demand for assessment, information and care will keep growing. Yet the number in council-funded services is already lower than requests suggest. Without action, the gap may widen. Encouraging a broader range of community options could help people remain at home for longer. This may require extra travel payments for home-care staff, stronger voluntary networks and clear advice for self-funders. Planning now is vital, because even a small yearly rise in the older population can add pressure quickly in a rural district.
✨ ✅ ❌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 West Berkshire recorded about 7 430 unpaid carers for every 100 000 residents. With a population close to 162 000, this points to roughly 12 000 local people who give care without pay. The rate is lower than the England average of 8 204 per 100 000. West Berkshire is less densely settled and more affluent than many areas, so some carers may be less visible to services, or relatives may be able to buy in support privately. The large rural share of the district, however, can make it harder for carers to reach help, so the lower recorded rate may also reflect under-identification rather than a lighter burden.
Only 28.4 % of surveyed carers said they have as much social contact as they would like, just under the national figure of 29.3 %. Even in a relatively prosperous area, caring can still limit time for friends, work and leisure. Rural travel distances and the dispersed pattern of small towns may add to feelings of isolation. This suggests that social wellbeing, rather than finance alone, remains a key need.
Sixty-one per cent of carers felt it is easy to find information about services, slightly higher than the England average of 59.3 %. This lines up with the council’s emphasis on advice: 572 information or sign-posting contacts were recorded per 100 000 people in 2024, far above the national rate of 339. Good sign-posting can prevent problems from escalating, yet it is only the first step. If advice is not backed up by practical relief, carers may still struggle day to day.
West Berkshire offers fewer direct payments to carers than most councils (37 per 100 000 against 150). Part-direct payments and council-managed personal budgets are also below average, and no purely council-commissioned support was logged in 2024. By contrast, support delivered to the cared-for person that benefits the carer, such as respite, is relatively high at 110 per 100 000 (England 70). The pattern suggests a strategy that leans on indirect help and universal advice rather than on personalised cash or commissioned packages.
This approach may suit carers who prefer simple arrangements, yet it can limit choice. Direct payments allow a carer to buy a break at times that fit family routines; their low take-up hints at barriers such as awareness, paperwork, or confidence in managing funds.
Only one safeguarding record with a primary reason linked to carers (rate 0.61 per 100 000) was noted for 2025, a touch below the national picture. While low numbers can mean few serious incidents, they can also arise from under-reporting, particularly when families fear that asking for help could trigger scrutiny.
The data paint a mixed picture. Carers know where to look for help, yet many still feel alone and make limited use of flexible funding. In a rural, low-deprivation district this may reflect practical rather than financial barriers: distance, transport, and the time needed to complete forms. Strengthening community groups, expanding local respite options, and simplifying the direct payment process could raise social contact and give carers more tailored relief. Keeping identification efforts high is also vital, as the headline carer rate sits well below the national norm, suggesting that hidden carers may not yet be counted or supported.
✨ ✅ ❌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
West Berkshire has 25 community–based adult social care services and 41 residential homes. When we set these figures against the local population of about 163,000 people, there are roughly 15 community services and 25 residential homes for every 100,000 residents. Across England the average local area, with a much larger population of about 368,000, has around 17 community services and 25 residential homes per 100,000 people. This shows that residential provision in West Berkshire sits close to the national rate, but community provision is a little thinner. The shortfall may reflect the district’s wide rural space, which can make it harder for smaller, home-based firms to reach scattered clients and remain viable.
Only 6 per cent of West Berkshire providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, compared with 17 per cent nationally. This stronger result suggests that, although community capacity is lower, the services that do operate are performing well. A low deprivation level (average decile 8) may help here: people in less deprived areas often have better buildings, stronger volunteer networks and more self-funding clients, all of which can support higher standards.
Staff turnover stands at 26.7 per cent, almost the same as the England mean. However, 72 per cent of managers say that keeping staff has become more difficult, and 83 per cent report greater problems in recruitment. These worries are echoed in a vacancy rate of 16 per cent, nearly double the national figure of 8 per cent. The rural make-up of the district may again play a part: long travel times, limited public transport and higher living costs can deter potential carers. The low level of deprivation can also push up local wages in other sectors, drawing workers away from care.
The contrast between high quality and high vacancy rates is striking. At present, providers seem able to keep standards up, yet the data hint at rising risk. If vacancies remain high, the strain on the existing workforce may grow, and quality could slip. Smaller provider numbers in the community sector make this risk sharper, as there is less spare capacity to absorb staff shortages.
For commissioners, the main tasks are to widen community provision and to ease workforce gaps. Travel bursaries, “grow-your-own” training schemes and digital care tools may help rural staff cover larger areas. Close monitoring is also needed to ensure that strong quality ratings are not eroded by the current staffing pressure. Given the district’s ageing profile and steady population growth, timely action will support both resilience and choice in the years ahead.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
The Care Quality Commission gives West Berkshire a score of 64 for 2024/25, almost identical to the England average of 64.7. This places the authority in the “Good” band, suggesting that core processes are sound but still leave scope for fine-tuning.
Ninety-nine per cent of local residents are discharged from hospitals judged acceptable to the authority, ten percentage points above the national figure of 89%. This shows strong planning and good links with neighbouring trusts. Yet 21.1% of those discharges are delayed, far above the national 12.3%. The mean length of each delay, 0.72 days, is only slightly higher than the England average of 0.70 days. The pattern hints at a bottleneck that affects a small number of people for a short period rather than a chronic blockage. West Berkshire’s population is both smaller and more rural than average (230 people per km² versus 2 469 in England), so transport times, home care availability and housing adaptations may all contribute to the initial delay, even though once obstacles are removed people leave quickly.
Seventy-two per cent of survey respondents say they are satisfied with their care and support, seven points above the national picture. The authority also scores 72.4% for ease of finding information, compared with 68.2% across England. Higher satisfaction is consistent with the area’s low deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation mean decile 8.1 against the national 5.9). More residents live in secure housing, have digital access and can advocate for themselves, all of which make services feel more responsive.
A separate NatCen study records 57% dissatisfaction. The question wording differs, yet the gap signals that a sizable minority still feel needs are unmet. The mixed message suggests services work well for many but not all groups. Rural hamlets and small villages, which make up 42.8% of addresses, may experience limited home care capacity or long travel times for staff, making support less reliable.
The Local Government Ombudsman received and decided 3.06 cases per 100 000 residents in 2024, lower than the national rates of 4.45 received and 4.12 decided. With a population of 163 367, this equals five cases in total. Fewer complaints can signal good frontline resolution, yet could also reflect higher thresholds for escalating concerns among an older, more affluent population. Close monitoring is needed to ensure low complaint numbers are not masking hidden issues.
Overall quality is solid, and user feedback is favourable, but the high proportion of delayed discharges shows that coordination between hospital teams, community health and social care remains fragile. Expanding intermediate care beds and investing in home adaptation services could shorten waits without major spending.
Maintaining clear information channels appears to pay dividends in satisfaction. Continued effort to reach isolated rural residents—through mobile advice sessions or better broadband—could lift the score further and narrow the dissatisfaction gap noted by NatCen.
The authority benefits from low deprivation and a manageable population size, yet these advantages bring expectations of seamless service. Future quality gains are therefore likely to rely on fine, user-centred adjustments rather than large structural change.
✨ ✅ ❌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 year 2024 West Berkshire spent about £54,100 for every 100,000 residents on adult social care in gross terms. This is roughly thirteen per cent higher than the England figure of £47,800. After taking away income from the NHS and from clients, the net spend was about £45,100 per 100,000 residents, again above the national level of £40,500.
Using the most recent population count of 163,000 people, the gross bill is close to £88 million and the net bill is about £73 million. For a medium-sized, mostly rural area this is a sizeable commitment. It shows that the council is choosing, or feels it must make, a spend pattern more generous than the national norm.
West Berkshire is an affluent place. Its average deprivation decile is 8 on the national ten-point scale, while England stands at 6. Residents therefore pay more towards their own care. Client contributions reach £9,000 per 100,000 people, a quarter higher than the England level. Higher client income eases pressure on the council’s own funds but also points to a charging policy that assumes most people can afford to pay something.
The area is also quite spread out. Population density is 229 people per square kilometre, just one-tenth of the England average. Forty-three per cent of the population live in rural settings. Home-care staff, therapists and social workers must travel long distances, and care homes are few and small. These factors often lift the cost of each hour of support, even when need is not unusually high. The council’s above-average spend is likely to reflect these unavoidable delivery costs.
NHS contributions to adult social care in West Berkshire are about £4,800 per 100,000 residents, almost forty per cent lower than the national figure. A healthier, wealthier population may need fewer joint health-and-care packages, but the gap could also signal limited local use of pooled budgets. Lower NHS money means the council must carry more of the cost itself, which again helps to explain the high gross and net spend.
Spending above the national average does not automatically mean inefficiency. In West Berkshire it is linked to rural service delivery, a relatively small population base, and an expectation that residents will pay a fair share. The low share of NHS funding, however, may deserve attention. More integrated commissioning could shift some cost away from the council and make support feel less fragmented for people who use both health and care services.
No public data are available on recent budget cuts, yet the current pattern shows that the council is investing heavily at a time when national funding rules remain uncertain. Close monitoring of demand, especially as the population ages, will be vital so that resources stay in line with local need and with what residents can afford.
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