Adult Care, Housing and Public Health Market Position Statement: Adult Care Market and Demand

Key messages for the market

• In addition to promoting the delivery of quality support, the Council requires providers to be creative and innovative in the way existing and newly commissioned services deliver that support.
• The Council will continue to promote strength-based approaches and expand the utilisation of assistive technologies to support individual independence and offer the least restrictive option. The presence of assistive technologies will feature across provision from housing related support through to residential care homes.
• Providers will be required to support progress towards an assets-based approach and, understand the local communities in which they operate, building relationships with key stakeholders, such as the community nursing teams, neighbourhood officers and social work teams.
• Partnership working between universal services and commissioned providers will be encouraged to improve individual outcomes, as part of a strengths-based approach.
• Best practice within Adult Care, Housing and Public Health emphasises the maximisation of independence at all levels of acuity and achieving improved outcomes and value for money.
• Data shows that Rotherham has an established existing provider market for older adults with 1,631 independent sector residential and nursing beds in borough and around 13% vacant bed capacity (2024/25) indicating a slight over-supply. However, demand projections indicate that Rotherham will need an increased supply of nursing care homes going forward, because of the ageing population and improved community support meaning individuals enter care at a higher level of acuity. The Council invested increased resources in 2024/25 to support the nursing care home market.
• The jointly funded (SYICB/RMBC) Integrated Community Equipment and Wheelchair Service will be recommissioned prior to the current contract end date of 1 February 2026. SYICB and the Council are currently in discussion regarding the details of the new service.
• The Council needs to develop a range of accommodation and support options to provide for the range of adult needs and offer choice in how that provision is delivered. This may include the increase of Extra Care Housing, Supported Living and Shared Lives as well as potential new models of support such as care suites.
• The Council is an outlier in terms of its use of home care with significantly more usage than its comparator authorities. In 2025, Commissioners will undertake a review of the first five years operation of the Home Care and Support Flexible Purchasing System. This may result in a competitive exercise being undertaken to secure domiciliary care under a revised model to be implemented in 2026.
• The Borough that Cares Strategic Framework which prioritises Unpaid Carers in Rotherham is in its final year in 2025. A review of the framework is currently being undertaken to assess the progress achieved and to inform the next steps. The requirements of support for Unpaid Carers will lead to additional commissioning activity to secure any additional resources developed.