Stoke-on-Trent home care model branded 'not-fit-for-purpose'

Home care assistant with elderly woman
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


Council leaders are revamping the way they purchase home care for hundreds of vulnerable residents - as the current system is 'not fit for purpose'. Stoke-on-Trent City Council currently spends around £15 million a year on domiciliary care for 1,200 adults, with the current contracts with providers dating back to 2019.

But the current model has now become 'saturated' with one-off, unplanned spot purchases, which currently account for well over half the home care being provided each week. Cabinet members have now agreed to adopt a new 'locality' model, which will include both home care and the care element of extra care housing.

The new model will see providers delivering home care in specific areas of the city, aligned with the council's wellbeing teams, and will also include more support for unpaid carers and 'social opportunities'. Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for adult social care, told the cabinet meeting that this new approach would be better for service users as well as saving the council money.

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He said: "The current contract has been in place since 2019, with three contract types - guaranteed minimum hours, framework and spot purchasing. However, following Covid, the market is now saturated with spot purchase arrangements, and the model is now unfit for purpose.

"Our vision for the new model is for local providers to integrate into the community where they are working. In addition to get to know the other health, social care and voluntary sector teams in their locality, we want providers to understand all of the community resource they can draw on to support someone and improve their wellbeing.

"Importantly, as well as improved outcome for residents, the new model will allow the council to realise savings by supporting more adults to remain at home for as long as possible, and if required move into extra care settings rather than residential care."

The cabinet agreed to launch a procurement exercise to enable the new community care model, with the new contracts set to start next year.

As part of the process of drawing up the new model, the council sent letters to the 1,200 people receiving home care asking for their views, and feedback was received from 134. The council says this will inform the specification of the home care lot of the new model.