Cumberland has a mixed adult social care market within a blend of local and national independent sector providers and in-house services, which work together to meet the diverse needs of our community. This mixed economy approach makes sure we have a range of care options available, helping to promote choice and flexibility for customers whilst also generating local spend and social value.
Independent sector
The independent sector plays a crucial role in our local care market, offering a variety of services including residential care, homecare, and specialist support. In fact, the majority of our services are delivered by the independent sector either through commissioned arrangements or self funded.
In-house provision
The council operates a number of in-house care services via Cumberland Care, which is part of our Adult Social Care and Housing directorate. The vision for Cumberland Care is to focus in-house delivery around services which support people to maximise their independence, and we will increasingly look to reshape services in order to provide more specialist and complex care.
Approach to delivering care services
In addition to the statutory services described on the following pages, the council also provides a number of intermediate care services, operating a reablement approach to support people to live better, healthier and more independent lives, ideally within their own homes.
Our budget
Cumberland Council faces significant budget pressures in relation to adult social care, these pressures are driven by several key factors
including:
- a ‘super-ageing’ population in Cumberland which has led to an increased demand for adult social care services
- the cost of providing care continues to rise, influenced by factors such as inflation, higher wages for care staff, national insurance changes and the need for specialised services
To help mitigate against these financial pressures, the council is undertaking a number of transformation projects to streamline processes and reduce inefficiencies. It is hoped these projects will support us to deliver services more cost effectively, whilst making sure we continue to provide high quality adult social care services, through both in-house provision and commissioned services, across the Cumberland footprint.
Quality
We are proud to support a high-quality adult social care market, with over 80% of our providers being rated Good or Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We continue to work closely with a wide range of care providers to make sure that all services are delivered to the highest standards. Our Quality and Contract Officers (QCOs) undertake regular monitoring and quality assurances processes with providers of regulated services, both to support our providers in delivering the service and to make sure our residents receive the best possible care.
A breakdown of our adult social care budget for 2024 to 2025
Homecare: £18.6 million
Internal provider: £33.9 million
Nursing care: £8.7 million
Other contracts: £13.4 million
Residential care: £43.8 million
Respite care: £4.9 million
Supported living: £16.1 million
Care management: £13.2 million
Day opportunities including transport: £5.3 million
Direct payments: £8.3 million
Equipment: £1.3 million
Extra care housing: £1.6 million