This page provides an overview of social care in West Sussex, 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: Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Worthing
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: Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Worthing
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 Sussex. 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
About 16.4 % of residents are classed as disabled after age-standardisation, below the England rate of 17.6 %. West Sussex is relatively healthy and affluent, with an average Index of Multiple Deprivation decile close to 6 and many neighbourhoods in the least deprived bands. The county is also more rural than most of England and has a moderate population density of 443 people per square kilometre. These factors tend to lower long-term illness and disability, so the smaller proportion is not surprising.
During 2024 there were 11,370 requests for care or support from working-age adults. This equals 1,262 requests per 100,000 people, roughly 10 % above the national figure of 1,143. A higher rate of enquiries, set against a smaller disabled population, suggests that need is rising faster than prevalence. Possible reasons include limited informal support in rural villages, transport barriers that push people to formal services sooner, or better local information that encourages people to ask for help early.
Only 4,060 working-age adults actually received ongoing council-funded care, a rate of 451 per 100,000 compared with the England average of 533. The gap between high requests and lower receipt implies that many enquiries are screened out, resolved with short-term advice, or face eligibility thresholds that are harder to meet.
The pattern of provision is distinctive. Residential and nursing placements stand at 81.6 per 100,000, higher than the national 60.6. Community-based options are all lower: direct payment-only support is 81.0 per 100,000 versus 122.2 nationally, part direct payment 41.1 versus 48.0, and council-managed personal budgets 232.6 versus 266.7. This tilt towards building-based care can reflect limited home-care workforce in rural areas, longer travel times for staff, or a preference for placements once needs become complex.
Recorded contacts in 2025 for matters such as safeguarding, mental capacity or legal issues are tiny: fewer than one case per 100,000 on every measure, each well below national benchmarks. Such low figures could mean genuine satisfaction, but they may also signal under-recording or that people find it hard to raise concerns. Given the high rate of initial requests, monitoring the accuracy of this data is important.
West Sussex combines lower disability prevalence with high demand for support and a service offer that leans towards residential solutions. This mixture can create pressure points. If community options remain limited, more people may escalate to costly placements. Strengthening the home-care workforce, expanding direct payment advice and improving transport links would help people stay independent for longer.
The county already benefits from relatively low deprivation, which should make preventative work easier to fund and deliver. Redirecting some of the resources now tied up in residential budgets towards early help, equipment and digital technology could reduce future demand. Finally, refining recording of advice and complaint contacts will give a clearer picture of unmet need and service quality.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Sussex is growing, from about 872,000 people in 2019 to just over 900,000 in 2023. The share of residents aged 65 and over moved from 22.7 % to 23.2 % in the same period, while the England mean stayed near 18–19 %. This tells us that the county has a clearly older age structure. At 443 people per km² the area is far less dense than the national average, so many older residents live in small towns or villages. Deprivation is moderate to low (mean decile around 6), so poverty is not the main challenge; distance and access are.
In 2024 there were 23,575 requests for support from people aged 65 plus. This equals 2,617 requests per 100,000 older residents, slightly above the national rate of 2,438. A higher request rate fits with the older population share, but the gap is not large. It suggests that older people in West Sussex feel able to approach the council, yet do not do so in disproportionate numbers. The rural spread may hold back some demand, balancing out the effect of age.
Only 7,150 older people were in an active care package in 2024, or 794 per 100,000. The England figure is 1,003. In other words, for every 100 requests, West Sussex opens around 30 care packages, while the average council opens about 41. This could point to strong prevention and advice at the “front door”, but it can also mean unmet need. The local authority should test whether people whose request is screened out later re-present with higher need.
Use of nursing beds is high (164 per 100,000 versus 122 nationally), showing that when needs are complex the council purchases institutional care. Residential beds are close to average. Community-based help is low across all payment routes: direct payment only, part direct payment, and council-managed personal budgets sit well below national rates. This mix hints at limited home-care capacity, or at families providing more unpaid help. If the market cannot offer enough home support, some people may move to nursing care earlier than necessary.
Small numbers asked for help with assessments, charging, or safeguarding in 2025 (all under one person per 100,000). These figures are lower than national means. Either the county resolves questions quickly at first contact, or residents do not know that specialist advice is available. Given the scattered settlement pattern, promoting online and telephone guidance may be wise.
The county must plan for a steadily ageing, widely dispersed population. Higher-than-average nursing use, paired with low community support, risks pushing costs up and reducing independence. Growing the home-care workforce, especially in rural zones, should be a priority. Monitoring outcomes for those whose requests do not lead to formal care will show whether current gate-keeping strikes the right balance between prevention and unmet need.
West Sussex already serves a larger share of older residents than most councils, and this share is still rising. Demand for help is only slightly above average, yet the proportion actually receiving long-term support is low. Strengthening community services and maintaining clear information channels will help the county meet future pressures while supporting older people to live well at home.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Sussex had about 73,000 unpaid carers. This is worked out from a rate of 8,226.9 carers for every 100,000 residents and the 2021 population of 885,048. The local rate sits a little above the England average of 8,203.7 per 100,000, so a slightly larger share of residents here give unpaid help to family or friends. West Sussex is growing – the population has risen by roughly 3 % since 2019 – and is also more rural than most counties. Longer travel times to services and a rising older age-group (not shown here but common in rural areas) often mean that families step in to give care, so the high rate fits the local setting.
Only 29.2 % of carers said in 2024 that they have as much social contact as they would like, almost identical to the national figure of 29.3 %. In other words, about seven in ten carers remain socially isolated. Ease of finding information is also just below average: 57.8 % feel it is easy, against 59.3 % in England. For a county that is less deprived than most (average deprivation decile 6.3 compared with 5.9 nationally) this slight gap hints that geography, not poverty, is the bigger barrier. Rural distance, patchy public transport and digital black spots can all make it harder to keep in touch or search for help.
The pattern of formal support shows a clear local choice. West Sussex provides 1,087.3 cases of information, advice or other universal services for every 100,000 people, over three times the England rate of 338.7. At the same time, direct payments to carers are rare at 26.6 per 100,000, barely one sixth of the national average of 149.9, while respite arranged for the cared-for person is almost absent at 1.7 per 100,000 versus 70.0 in England. Recorded cases with no direct support are also low (34.4 per 100,000, against 129.6). This suggests the council focuses on light-touch offers such as signposting and self-help rather than on higher-cost breaks or personal budgets.
Such an approach may reach many people quickly, but it can leave intensive carers without the time off they need. The low share who feel socially connected supports this view. The small raw count of four safeguarding concerns for carers in 2025 (0.44 per 100,000, below the national 0.75) could signal effective early advice, yet it could equally mean that stressed carers are not coming to professional attention.
With a large, spread-out and slowly growing population, West Sussex will probably see the number of unpaid carers rise further. Maintaining their well-being will need more than information. More flexible respite, easier routes to direct payments and better transport links could lift social contact and reduce hidden strain. Targeted outreach in the most remote communities, supported by digital infrastructure, would help carers find and use the support that is already on offer.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Sussex supports 164 community-based adult social care services and 327 residential services. With a 2023 population of just over 900,000, this equates to about 18 community providers and 36 residential providers for every 100,000 residents. Comparable local authorities average roughly 17 and 24 providers per 100,000 people. The county therefore offers both types of service at a higher rate than is typical. This wide supply is likely to reflect two structural facts: first, the population is more than twice the average size of an English local authority, and second, around three-fifths of residents live in rural areas. A dispersed, mainly rural settlement pattern often favours many smaller homes and community agencies so that people can receive care close to where they live.
Just under 15 % of West Sussex care providers are rated “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, compared with 16.8 % nationally. While the difference is modest, it points to slightly better overall quality. The county’s relatively low levels of deprivation—most neighbourhoods sit in decile six or above—may help here: providers working with generally better-off communities often face fewer complex health and housing issues, allowing them to focus on consistency of care.
The staff turnover rate in 2023/24 was 26.7 %, almost identical to the South East average. Although stability looks typical, 72 % of local employers still describe retaining staff as more or much more challenging, four percentage points above the regional view. Recruitment feels even tougher: 83 % report extra difficulty, again above the South East norm. In spite of this, current vacancies stand at 7.7 %, slightly below the regional 8.4 %. The picture suggests that providers are managing to fill posts for now, yet doing so is becoming harder and more expensive.
Several local characteristics help explain these mixed signals. Low population density (443 residents per km² versus 2,469 nationally) means many care workers travel longer distances between visits, pushing up fuel costs and unpaid travel time. At the same time, house prices in parts of West Sussex are high, limiting the pool of potential staff who can afford to live near their workplace. These factors raise the perceived difficulty of both hiring and retaining care workers even when raw vacancy numbers remain modest.
The county already delivers a broad range of services with moderately good quality ratings, yet the workforce on which this rests feels fragile. Sustaining provision will probably depend on actions that ease travel burdens, widen the recruitment catchment and support career progression. Options include travel-time payments, public transport subsidies, and closer links with local colleges to create clear training pathways. Because quality is comparatively strong, commissioners can also use peer-learning networks that spread good practice from high-performing homes to the minority that still require improvement.
West Sussex’s large, growing and relatively affluent population will continue to demand plentiful, good-quality care. Meeting this demand in a rural context without pushing vacancy rates higher will be the central challenge over the next few years. Targeted workforce incentives and ongoing quality support should help the county maintain its favourable position against national benchmarks.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
West Sussex has about 901,000 residents, more than twice the average local authority in England, yet it is far less densely populated (443 people per km² versus 2,469 nationally). Deprivation is lower than average: most neighbourhoods sit around decile 6 while England as a whole centres on decile 5.9. A large, dispersed and comparatively affluent population tends to expect high-quality, well-co-ordinated services but also poses logistical challenges for care providers, especially around travel and staffing.
In November 2024, 95.4 percent of West Sussex residents left hospital from “acceptable trusts”, well above the national figure of 89 percent. This suggests strong relationships between the council and its main acute partners, making it easier to plan and fund safe, timely discharges close to home. Only 8.4 percent of discharges were delayed, a third lower than the England rate of 12.3 percent, showing that joint working across health and social care is reducing bottlenecks.
However, when a delay does occur it lasts slightly longer: the mean delay is 0.97 days per person compared with 0.7 days nationally. The pattern points to isolated, harder-to-resolve cases—often seen in rural areas where suitable community beds or home-care packages are scarce. Targeted investment in complex discharge planning, especially in the more rural north of the county, could shorten the tail of lengthy waits.
Overall satisfaction with care and support stands at 67.3 percent, ahead of the England average of 64.7 percent. Lower deprivation and good continuity of care may partly explain this positive result. Yet a separate NatCen survey records 57 percent dissatisfaction, emphasising that opinion is not uniform. Expectations may be higher in a relatively prosperous population, and differences in survey methods can amplify this.
Seventy-one percent of service users say it is easy to find information about services, again better than the national 68.2 percent. The county’s digital inclusion work and longstanding community signposting appear to be paying off. Continued support for carers and older residents who are less confident online will be important as more information shifts to digital channels.
The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman received 6.1 cases per 100,000 residents in 2024, and decided 5.4 per 100,000—both higher than the England averages of 4.45 and 4.12. With a large population these rates translate into roughly 55 more complaints per year than a typical county. Higher complaint volumes may reflect a population that is well informed about its rights and willing to challenge decisions rather than systemic poor quality, especially given the positive satisfaction scores. Still, each complaint represents a learning opportunity; themes from Ombudsman decisions should feed into continuous improvement work.
Strong discharge performance and above-average satisfaction indicate that West Sussex’s adult social care system functions well for most people. The main improvement opportunity lies in reducing the length of the relatively small number of complex delays, likely through better rural home-care capacity and more flexible intermediate care beds. Maintaining accessible information and acting quickly on complaint feedback will help sustain trust among a demanding, engaged population. Continued focus on integration with NHS partners and on workforce recruitment in hard-to-serve areas will be key to keeping quality high as the population grows and ages.
✨ ✅ ❌We need to understand how much money is being spent on social care, and what this provides. First, let’s look at values reported by local authorities.
Gross Current Expenditure (2023-24) captures the total operational cost of services, indicating overall demand and financial commitment. This includes spending on residential and non-residential care, direct payments, and other social care services. Understanding gross expenditure helps assess the scale of social care provision and financial pressures on local authorities.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
This figure reflects the net cost of social care provision to the local authority, indicating the extent of financial support required to meet service demands. Understanding net expenditure helps assess the financial sustainability of social care services and the commitment level of the local authority.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Client Contributions, otherwise known as “Charging”, show the extent to which service users offset costs. Understanding client contributions helps assess the financial burden on individuals and the local authority, highlighting the need for fair and equitable funding mechanisms.
It is important to note that not all local authorities charge for social care services, and that charging can be a barrier to accessing care for some individuals.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Income from NHS reflects external funding and collaboration with the health sector. Understanding NHS contributions helps understand the level of integration between health and social care.
ASCFR/SALT Sheet T3
Budget Cuts indicate financial constraints and potential service reductions. Sometimes, budget cuts are explicit, but other times, they aren’t mentioned directly, making tracking this information difficult to access.
As such, this data is not consistently available for all local authorities.
Access Social Care have made a series of Freedom of Information requests about the government’s own assessment of sufficiency of social care funding. The social care sector is in crisis, yet the government refuses to disclose how it determines funding sufficiency. Without transparency, there is little accountability, no independent scrutiny to improve decision-making, and government trust heavily impacted. Evidence from across the sector indicates a severe funding gap, but without open data, meaningful reform remains impossible. True solutions require honesty about the scale of the problem to then work towards a fair and equitable funding model.
The government appears to know how much money is required for social care, and yet they are not making that known.
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The county spends about £365 million on adult social care before any income is taken into account. This figure comes from a gross cost of £40,448 for every 100,000 residents and a population close to 901,000. After client fees and NHS money are removed, net spending is about £294 million, or £32,686 per 100,000 people.
West Sussex spends less per head than the national average. The gap is sizeable: gross spending is 15 % lower and net spending is 19 % lower. Yet the county is much larger than the typical English authority, so the cash out-turn is still high. Lower spending per resident may point to efficiencies, lower need, or both.
The county receives more support from clients and from the NHS than most areas. Client contributions bring in about £70 million, equal to £7,761 per 100,000 people, which is 7 % above the national rate. NHS transfers add about £93 million, or £10,328 per 100,000 people, 31 % above average. These two income streams cut the burden on the local budget and explain why net costs fall further below the England figure than gross costs.
Population factors matter. West Sussex is relatively affluent. Its mean deprivation score sits near decile 6, better than the national midpoint. With fewer residents in the most deprived bands, demand for high-intensity social care can be lower, and more people can afford to pay part of their own fees. This would raise client income and let the council spend less per head.
At the same time the county has many older people, especially along the coast, and a large rural fringe. Both features often push up care costs. The higher NHS contribution suggests that health and social care teams work closely to cover these pressures, for example through joint funding of re-ablement or discharge services. Good integration may hold net spending down while still delivering support.
West Sussex has a density of 443 residents per square kilometre, far below the England mean of 2,468. Services therefore must travel farther, which can raise unit costs. The current figures show the council is meeting this challenge without exceeding national spending levels. Savings may stem from using community networks and digital tools to limit travel time.
A lower spend per resident is not, by itself, a concern, but it does call for careful watching. If demand grows as the population ages, the county may need to raise its investment or risk unmet need. Continued partnership with the NHS and fair client charging will remain key. The absence of clear data on budget cuts makes it hard to judge future resilience, yet present performance suggests that purposeful planning and joint funding are helping West Sussex balance cost and care quality.
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