Outcome: Residents live well
Where are we now
We are making significant strides in enabling our residents to lead happy, healthy and independent lives. Working with our partners, we have focused on prevention to ensure that local people live in good physical and mental health for as long as possible.
Investing in modern social care services has been a major priority for the Council over recent years. Over the last 10 years, the amount we have spent on social care services has almost doubled. Pressure on all our services has risen, from our enablement service to our care homes. As demand for health and care services increases, we will continue to focus on intervening early to prevent problems from developing or worsening, as we aim to increase healthy life expectancy in the borough. Our preventative approach is innovative in social care, reducing the need for intensive or residential services and helping people maintain their independence for as long as possible. To enable people to stay in their home of choice over 2,300 adaptations are carried out each year by the Council.
Adult Social Care complete over 3,000 assessments each year to ensure that Rotherham residents can remain living independently, in a place of their choosing, with services that meet their eligible needs
This preventative approach also covers housing and public health schemes as we recognise that all aspects of a person’s life are important to their health and wellbeing. We have created 669 Council homes since 2018, including 171 across the town centre, and we are on track to build 1,000 homes by summer 2027. These homes are energy efficient, reducing bills and carbon emissions for residents. All our homes are warm, good quality and provide people with stability, underpinning good mental and physical health. We recognise that the availability of affordable, decent quality housing is fundamental to people’s feelings of safety, security and independence.
Over 650 homes built or purchased by the Council since 2018
As well as delivering our housing growth programme, we are acting on homelessness – again focusing on prevention - so that less people live on our streets or in temporary accommodation. We are also addressing poor conditions in the private rented sector through selective licensing schemes, making sure that landlords provide decent housing with enough space for all their residents to live healthy and happy lives. By emphasising prevention and recovery, we have redesigned mental health services, working with our partners and our residents to offer comprehensive support pathways. As a result, drug treatment and recovery services have been expanded, helping those who need our support to break cycles of despair and illness. Health issues are best dealt with in the community, which is why we have delivered a grants programme to address loneliness and isolation in neighbourhoods, and reached out to all our residents with our ‘Say Yes’ campaign, highlighting the lifestyle changes we can all make to prevent ill-health.
581 staff and volunteers have participated in Making Every Contact Count training to raise awareness on a range of topics to improve people’s health and wellbeing (2024/25)
Our commitment to working in a strengths-based way, focusing on what matters to people, has seen us co-produce our key strategies, ensuring that unpaid carers, people with learning disabilities and other residents who interact with adult social care provision have a genuine say in how services are designed and delivered. This means our services are more responsive to the needs of our residents and provide them with care which is more appropriate. A key area of our focus is to support adults with learning disabilities to have more control over their lives. Through the delivery of the ‘My Front Door’ programme and the new Learning Disabilities Strategy 2024-27, co-produced with adults and young people with a learning disability and their families, we are working to ensure that people are empowered, have a strong voice and are enabled to make choices so that they feel included, safe and secure.
78% of adults who receive support from adult social care feel they have control over their daily life (2023/24)
Responding to the impact of the increasing cost of living on individuals and communities across the borough, we’re continuing to support our most vulnerable residents. From money off fuel bills and council tax, to the provision of vouchers during the holidays for children and young people eligible for free school meals and providing uniform vouchers, we are ensuring that no one in Rotherham is forgotten or left behind.
Provided £7.4 million for free school meals, council tax support and energy bills to support people with the rising cost of living
Council Plan consultation headlines
- 82% of respondents who completed the counter box exercise, agreed that homelessness should be a priority, compared to allowing fewer new homes to be built (18%)
- 8% of respondents in postal surveys regarded affordable housing as their one wish for the future of Rotherham
- The focus groups highlighted the need for improved access to health services, particularly mental health and continued cost of living support to alleviate poverty and inequalities.
"Equality with all people to be able to access all services they need to keep their best wellbeing
A town where people can thrive, live healthy, happy lives connected to the people you love
