Every adult resident assessed as needing home care is now receiving it following a major effort by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to bring in more local service providers.
According to the latest city council figures, there are currently no unmet adult social care domiciliary hours – a term for assessing the level of provision compared to the requirement. No unmet care hours means people are not waiting while the council are sourcing the care.
This figure is down from 174 unmet hours in the city in 2023/24 and 212 in the previous year.
The performance figures for quarter 2 2024/25, published in the latest city council cabinet report, are a result of the Adult Social Care team taking steps to procure more domiciliary care providers. The number of companies now providing the service has reached 41 – up from 11 in 2022.
The decision to increase providers was made in December 2021 when there were 199 people needing care to be sourced, which equated to 2,139 hours.
It means that far more people who require care can continue to live in their own home, helping them to maintain their quality of life and independent living as well as reducing the need to go into a care home and the pressure on hospital beds.
It also comes at a time when the need for adult social care continues to increase. Last year (2023/24), a total of 835,000 hours of adult social care hours were delivered – up from 754,000 hours in 2022/23.
The type of care typically delivered to residents in their homes includes personal hygiene care, helping administer medication and supporting with nutrition and hydration. This is provided through daily visits or live-in care.
Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for adult services for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “It is a fantastic achievement that we have reached this figure of zero unmet adult social care hours following a considerable amount of work bringing in new, local providers to carry out this vital service.
“Most significantly it means more residents can continue to live in their own homes, which is a big part of them maintaining a high level of independence and wellbeing, while receiving the care they need.
“It will also have a positive knock-on effect on hospital beds this winter, helping to relieve pressure at a crucial time.”
Adult social care continues to be one of the city council’s biggest priorities and more multi-million-pound investment is being made during the current financial year to look after the people in our communities who need the most support.
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