This page provides an overview of social care in Wirral, 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.
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.
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 Wirral. Understanding the types of care available can help local authorities identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed. For example, a high number of people receiving personal care may indicate a need for more support with daily living activities, while a high number of people receiving respite care may suggest a need for additional support for carers.
ASCFR and SALT Data Tables 2023-24 Sheet T34
The age-standardised rate of disability is 22.2 per cent, well above the England average of 17.6 per cent. With a 2023 population of 324,900, this suggests about 72,000 disabled residents. A high prevalence is in line with the borough’s lower mean deprivation decile (4.6) and a strong mix of rich and poor areas, both factors that tend to raise rates of long-term illness.
During 2024, 6,765 working-age adults (18–64) asked the council for care or support. This is 2,082 per 100,000 residents, almost twice the national rate of 1,143. Such demand may reflect greater underlying need, but also good public awareness of available help. Population density is lower than the England average, so travel to health services may be harder; residents may therefore turn first to social care.
By the same year, 2,180 working-age adults were in an ongoing care package, equal to 671 per 100,000 people (England 533). Consequently, roughly one in three requests led to a care package, mirroring the conversion rate seen nationally. The figure is high in both raw and per-capita terms, reinforcing the view that underlying need, not simple over-referral, is driving activity.
Only 9.2 per 100,000 adults receive nursing care and 44.6 per 100,000 live in residential homes, both below national means. In contrast, 482 per 100,000 receive “community – council managed personal budget”, eight times the England norm. Wirral therefore puts strong emphasis on supporting disabled people in their own homes with personalised funds. This approach is consistent with policies that favour independence and fits a mixed urban-suburban geography where daily care visits are feasible.
Separate 2025 figures show modest numbers seeking help with assessments (4 cases), charging (26) or safeguarding (4). The per-capita rates are close to national averages. While small, the data hint that once people are in the system, most issues are handled without escalation. It also suggests that disabled residents may benefit from clearer information up-front, reducing later queries.
High disability prevalence and high care uptake point to sustained pressure on adult social care budgets. The very large community personal-budget caseload indicates that frontline teams need strong commissioning and brokerage skills rather than extra residential capacity. Given above-average deprivation, preventing ill-health and unemployment among disabled citizens will be central to managing future demand. Services should continue to publicise self-directed support but also monitor outcomes closely to ensure that people with complex needs are not left behind.
Wirral has more disabled residents than most places, and they are proactive in seeking help. The council meets need mainly through personalised, home-based care rather than institutional settings. This aligns with national policy and local geography but will require stable funding and a skilled workforce if it is to remain effective.
✨ ✅ ❌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
Wirral is home to about 325,000 people. It is less crowded than the average English area (1,990 residents per km² versus 2,469) and it is more deprived (mean deprivation decile 4.6, England 5.9). These factors often lead to poorer health and an earlier need for care.
The share of residents aged 65 + has risen each year, from 21.8 % in 2019 to 22.4 % in 2023. England’s share stayed lower and even fell slightly last year (from 18.9 % to 18.5 %). The gap is now almost four percentage points. Because the total population is growing, the number of older people is rising faster than the proportion alone suggests. This changing age structure means more long-term conditions and a larger pool of residents who could need social care.
In 2024, 11,230 people aged 65 + asked the council for help. This is 3,457 requests per 100,000 older residents, well above the national rate of 2,438. A high request rate can be read in two ways. It may show good awareness of local services and easy access to assessment. It may also signal higher underlying need, linked to deprivation, long-term illness and an ageing population.
7,545 older residents were in receipt of ongoing support, equal to 2,323 per 100,000 – more than double the England figure (1,003). Taken with the request data, this suggests that most people who ask for help end up receiving a service; unmet demand is likely to be low, but overall workload for adult social care is high.
Nursing home use (162 per 100,000) is slightly above average, while residential home use (245) is on a par with England (250). The striking difference is in community support. Only 11 per 100,000 rely on a direct payment alone, far below the national rate of 55. By contrast, 1,858 per 100,000 receive council-commissioned community support, thirteen times the England rate. Together, these figures show a strong local preference for council-arranged home care rather than personal budgets. This model may suit residents with complex needs or limited informal support, but it places heavy demands on the local care workforce and budget.
Data on specific advice themes hint at where older residents feel least confident. Enquiries about charging sit at 8.0 per 100,000, higher than the national 5.7, suggesting concern about the cost of care. Requests linked to information seeking and safeguarding are also above average. These patterns underline the need for clear communication and robust protection for vulnerable adults.
An ageing, deprived population is already creating demand well above national norms. Current practice succeeds in keeping many people at home, yet relies heavily on commissioned services and less on personal budgets. To keep care sustainable, Wirral may need to:
• Expand the home-care workforce and support providers to recruit locally.
• Promote direct payments or mixed packages for those who want more control.
• Strengthen early information and advice to manage growing concern about costs.
• Plan now for further growth in the 65 + population, using integrated health and care approaches to delay or reduce future demand.
Without such steps, the gap between local need and available resources is likely to widen as the older population continues to rise.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Wirral had about 10,449 unpaid carers for every 100,000 residents. With a mid-year population close to 320,600, this equals roughly 33,500 people who give care without pay. The national rate was only 8,204 per 100,000, so unpaid care is far more common locally. Wirral is smaller than the average English local authority and is markedly more deprived (mean deprivation decile 4.6 against 5.9). Higher ill-health linked to deprivation and an ageing population are both likely to increase the need for informal care. The borough is also more urban and densely settled than many areas, which can concentrate complex health needs within families.
Only 27.5 % of Wirral carers said they have as much social contact as they want, a little below the England average of 29.3 %. Social contact is vital for preventing isolation and burnout. The shortfall is small but significant given the large number of carers in the area; around 500 more carers would need adequate contact for Wirral to match the national picture.
Just under three fifths of carers (57.1 %) feel it is easy to find information about services, slightly behind the national result of 59.3 %. When thousands of people rely on informal care, even this modest gap matters. Information that is hard to locate often leads to missed entitlements, such as respite or direct payments, and can raise stress for carers who are already stretched.
The pattern of support funded by adult social care points to limited direct help for carers themselves.
About 871 carers per 100,000 residents—around 870 people—received no direct support from the council, more than double the England average of 130 per 100,000. Only 91 per 100,000 (roughly 300 people) received a full direct payment compared with a national rate of 150. Part direct payments were also very low. Direct payments offer flexibility and can be a marker of personalised care; their relative absence suggests that carers in Wirral may have fewer choices or less awareness of how to obtain them.
The borough did slightly better on “council-commissioned support only” (122 per 100,000 versus 102 nationally), indicating that the authority does buy in help on behalf of some carers. However, uptake of information, advice and universal services was only 88 per 100,000, far below the national rate of 339. This is striking, because good advice is cheap to provide and can prevent crisis demand later.
Respite or other breaks delivered to the cared-for person were particularly rare at just 8 per 100,000 (about 25 cases) compared with 70 nationally. Lack of respite sits alongside the low social-contact score and raises concern about carer fatigue.
In 2025 the dataset records only two incidents of a specific carer-related concern (0.62 per 100,000, near the national 0.75). Numbers are too small for firm conclusions, yet the low count may also reflect under-reporting if carers are not well linked to formal services.
Wirral relies heavily on unpaid carers, yet many of them receive little structured help. Deprivation, pockets of poor health and an ageing population make this a fragile arrangement. Expanding low-cost interventions—clear information, peer groups, and universal services—would be a quick win. Increased use of direct payments and more respite could follow, easing pressure on carers and on formal services. With demand already high and the population still growing, strengthening support now will prevent higher costs later and help carers remain willing and able to continue their vital role.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Wirral has 46 community-based adult social care services. With a population of about 325,000 this equals roughly 14 providers for every 100,000 residents. The England average is close to 17 per 100,000, so local people have a slimmer choice of support that lets them stay at home. In contrast, Wirral has 107 residential care homes, or almost 33 homes per 100,000 residents. Nationally the rate is about 24 per 100,000. The area therefore relies more on beds in buildings and less on outreach in the community.
More than one in four Wirral providers (28.6 %) are rated “needs improvement” or “inadequate”, well above the national figure of 16.8 %. The gap suggests that many services struggle to meet the standards set by the Care Quality Commission. High deprivation may play a part. Wirral sits in decile 4.6 on average, meaning it is more deprived than the country as a whole, and its mix of very rich and very poor neighbourhoods increases the strain on services. Homes in deprived wards often face older buildings, tighter budgets and clients with complex needs, all of which can lower inspection scores.
Staff turnover in 2023/24 stands at 25.4 %, almost identical to the national rate. Managers still say keeping workers is hard: 69.5 % report retention is “more” or “much more” challenging, slightly above the England average of 68.1 %. Recruitment feels even tougher, with 81.3 % seeing greater difficulty compared with 79.8 % across England. Yet the actual vacancy rate is 6.3 %, below the national 8.4 %. Wirral’s dense, largely urban setting may make travel to work easier and so hold vacancies down, but pay levels and career paths still fail to keep staff for long. High deprivation also means a larger share of the workforce may face personal financial stress, again pushing up turnover.
The balance towards residential care might ease hospital discharges but can also limit choice for people who would prefer support at home. At the same time, running many care homes spreads scarce skilled staff thinly, which may help explain the high share of homes rated below good. Lower vacancy rates show that posts can be filled, but quick churn means teams are often inexperienced, which again affects quality.
Improving care quality in Wirral likely needs a twin track. First, grow strong community-based services so that more people can stay independent and so that staff skills are not locked inside buildings. Second, invest in stable career paths to turn lower vacancies into longer careers, cutting turnover and raising inspection grades. Targeted support for the most deprived wards, where need is greatest and provider ratings are often weakest, should bring the biggest gains. With population density below the national norm, careful transport planning and digital tools will also help staff reach clients across the peninsula.
✨ ✅ ❌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 Wirral an overall score of 59 for 2024/25, against an England mean of 64.7, so the local authority remains in the “Requires Improvement” band. The rating sits in a borough with around 325,000 residents, fairly high population density (1,990 residents per km²) and above-average deprivation. These structural factors shape both demand and the resources needed to improve quality.
Two indicators point to effective joint working with the acute sector. Ninety-seven per cent of hospital discharges go to “acceptable” care providers, eight points above the national mean. Only 10.8 per cent of discharges are delayed, better than the 12.3 per cent national figure. In a densely populated, mainly urban area this suggests that the council and NHS partners are coordinating discharge pathways well. However, the average delay once a case is held up is 0.79 days per person, slightly above the 0.7-day England norm. This implies that while delays are less frequent, complex cases can still wait longer, probably reflecting the borough’s mixed deprivation profile: very deprived neighbourhoods can be harder to place because needs are higher and informal support networks thinner.
Resident feedback is broadly positive. Sixty-eight per cent of respondents say they are satisfied with the care and support they receive, three points above the English average. A larger majority, 76 per cent, feel it is easy to find information about services, well ahead of the 68 per cent benchmark. High satisfaction in a setting that carries a “Requires Improvement” label hints at frontline staff delivering good personal care even where back-office quality systems need work. It may also reflect shorter waits for support after discharge, which service users notice directly.
At the same time 57 per cent of respondents reported dissatisfaction in a separate NatCen survey. The contrast between the two surveys could stem from sample size, question framing, or, more likely, variation across the borough. Wirral’s deprivation standard deviation is 3.05, higher than the national spread, meaning some communities experience far greater hardship than others. Perceptions of care quality may therefore diverge sharply between affluent and deprived areas, signalling a need for more consistent provision.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 4.0 complaints per 100,000 residents in 2024, marginally below the 4.45 national mean. Decisions issued stand at 4.3 per 100,000, close to the England figure of 4.12. In absolute terms this equates to roughly 13 complaints in Wirral, compared with about 17 for an average-sized English authority. Lower complaint rates, alongside better satisfaction scores, support the view that frontline practice is generally sound, although a small caseload can sometimes point to under-reporting rather than genuine contentment.
Wirral shows strengths in hospital discharge, information provision, and day-to-day service satisfaction, despite serving a population that is poorer than average and growing slowly. These gains suggest that recent operational initiatives are working. The gap between positive user feedback and the CQC’s “Requires Improvement” judgement hints that governance, consistency, or workforce resilience may be the weaker links.
Targeted investment in quality assurance, faster resolution of the longest delays, and focused support for the most deprived neighbourhoods could move the overall score closer to, or above, the national mean. Maintaining the current discharge performance will be critical as the population ages and demand rises. Continued monitoring of complaints, especially from under-represented groups, will ensure that good practice translates into equitable outcomes across the whole borough.
✨ ✅ ❌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.
✨ ✅ ❌?
In 2024 Wirral’s gross adult social-care bill is around £169 million, equal to £51,968 per 100,000 residents. This is about nine per cent above the England mean of £47,758 per 100,000. After subtracting income from service users and the NHS, the net cost to the council is roughly £138 million, or £42,596 per 100,000 people, still five per cent above the national level.
Need, rather than inefficiency, appears to be the main reason for above-average spending. Wirral is more deprived than the typical English area (mean deprivation decile 4.6 versus 5.9) and shows wide contrasts between neighbourhoods. Poor health linked to deprivation often brings earlier and more complex care needs. At the same time the borough’s population density of 1,990 residents per km², while lower than the England average, concentrates demand in a relatively small space, pushing up provider fees for home-care visits and residential placements. The population has grown only slowly, yet even a modest rise of about 4,000 people since 2019 adds pressure when most growth is in older age bands.
Residents contribute about £30 million to their own care, or £9,372 per 100,000 population, nearly one-third above the England rate. High contributions suggest that many users own property or other assets that place them above the means-test threshold. Strong take-up of chargeable services—such as extra-care housing and reablement—may also play a part. While this income eases the council’s budget, it can deter people with limited savings from asking for help, risking unmet need in poorer households.
NHS funding stands at roughly £15.8 million (£4,852 per 100,000 people), 38 per cent below the national figure. A smaller local Better Care Fund or tighter hospital budgets could explain this gap. Limited health contributions leave the council carrying a larger share of costs for services that benefit both sectors, such as intermediate care. This may restrict investment in early intervention and increases the chance that avoidable hospital admissions rise.
Because Wirral already relies heavily on client income and receives relatively little NHS support, scope for further savings is narrow. Inflation in care-home fees and an ageing population will widen the funding gap unless additional national resources or larger health transfers are secured. If no new money arrives the council may feel pressure to tighten eligibility or reduce provider fees, both of which carry risks: unmet need could grow, and some care homes may become financially unstable.
In summary, Wirral spends above the national average because local need is high, yet it funds a large share of that spend itself. A more balanced partnership with the NHS and targeted investment in deprived neighbourhoods would help maintain service quality and protect residents from future shortfalls.
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