City Council set to invest more than £7 million to help ensure high quality adult social care

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to agree a multi-million-pound package to support high quality care for adults who need it the most and maintain high performance across its range of care providers.

A total of £7.12 million will be invested over the next 12 months to uplift fees across commissioned adult social care services, helping to ensure high‑quality, safe, stable and reliable care.

It includes a more than 12 per cent rise for enhanced residential care - which is linked to people requiring the most intensive around-the-clock support.

The investment - outlined in the Adult Social Care Provider Fee Strategy for 2026/27 - follows extensive analysis of local market conditions, consultation with care providers and a detailed review of rising costs across the sector.

The Care Act requires councils to maintain a healthy, sustainable care market. Over the past year, Stoke-on-Trent has seen pressures linked to increased demand for services, rising staffing and workforce costs, the national increase in the National Living Wage (NLW), inflation in running costs, utilities, food and supplies as well as the changing health needs of the population.

In response, the council has prioritised investment where it is most needed to maintain capacity, protect quality and support timely access to care.

The fee strategy covers a wide range of adult social care services, including:

• Care Homes (residential, enhanced, nursing and enhanced nursing)
• Home Care
• Supported Living
• Extra Care housing
• Shared Lives
• Direct Payments/Personal Assistants
• Social Opportunities Day Support

If the investment strategy is approved by the council’s ruling cabinet later this month, home care and supported living providers will receive an uplift of 4.34%;  standard residential care homes will see an increase of 4.29%; enhanced residential care will receive a larger uplift of 12.4% to reflect capacity pressures; and working age adult residential and nursing care will increase by 4.29%.

In addition, personal assistant rates (via Direct Payments) will rise by 4.43%, in line with National Living Wage changes. This strategy recognises pressures faced by providers while ensuring it is affordable for the council.

To support transparency, the council will operate an open book process for any care home provider who believes the uplift does not reflect their actual operating costs and will listen to any feedback.

The council will also continue to monitor market conditions closely and work with providers throughout the year to support continuity of care for residents.

Councillor Lynn Watkins, cabinet member for Adult Social Care and All Age Commissioning at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This is all about delivering the very best care to the adults who need it the most – with a real focus on people with enhanced needs and those suffering from dementia.

“The majority of our care providers in Stoke-on-Trent are rated Good or Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission – with the council itself rated Good for adult social care. This fee strategy is designed to help maintain this strong local performance and support recruitment, retention and workforce development.

“And the proposals complement our wider strategy to help residents live independently for longer, including increased use of home care, Supported Living and Extra Care housing.”