A chef at an Aylesbury care home has won the Anchor’s Chef of the Year Award after being announced at the final ceremony at Leeds Community College on Thursday 6 July.

Paul Thomas, a chef at Anchor’s Buckingham Lodge on Culpepper Close, went up against chefs from all 120 care homes run by Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit care home provider.

Entrants in Anchor’s prestigious Chef of the Year Award submitted a three-course recipe (starter, main and dessert). The best entrant from each region was picked by regional managers. These regional nominees then had their submissions voted for by Anchor colleagues across the country to pick the most appetising menus. Chefs were encouraged to use locally sourced ingredients and many even used herbs, fruits and vegetables grown at their own homes! Points were also awarded for menus that reduced food waste, using all parts of their ingredients.

The four finalists then came together to cook their recipes in a cooking competition at Leeds Community College. With all four finalists preparing their menus in a set time then having the results sampled by judges including Anchor’s Managing Director of Care Services Rob Martin, Catering Manager Noel Finnegan, Steve McFall, Managing Director of Efoods, one of Anchor’s suppliers and sponsors alongside Bidfood and Sam Mellish, last year’s Chef of the Year winner.

In the end, though, there could only be one winner. Paul was crowned at the official ceremony later that day. For his menu, Paul served up butternut squash panna cotta with whipped goats’ cheese and chives, dressed lambs’ lettuce with basil oil to start, a pan seared cod loin, crushed baby potatoes and spinach with charred asparagus, chorizo and caper butter for the main course and finished with a dessert of dark chocolate ganache, clotted cream, seasonal pickled fruit and chocolate soil. All the judges agreed Paul’s menu contained the perfect balance of traditional comfort and culinary excellence!

Anchor’s Managing Director of Care Services Rob Martin, who presented Paul with his award, said: “A huge well done to Paul. This year’s competition was fierce, so it says a lot about Paul’s menu and skills that he was able to deliver such an excellent set of dishes against the clock and against so many other great chefs!

“While all our homes provide fantastic quality cooking with high quality ingredients, our most important aim is to ensure our food is made with our residents’ wants and needs in mind, mitigating food waste and educating and inspiring colleagues to support and promote sustainable options. Paul’s delicious dishes very much achieved this aim and I’ve no doubt all the residents of Anchor’s Buckingham Lodge will be celebrating his win too!”

Paul was delighted to win, saying: “I still can’t quite believe it! To make the final four was incredible but I never thought I’d win, I’m really proud to have won! I wanted to make a menu that was healthy but also tasty – and made good use of local and sustainable ingredients.”

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The Wild West came to a Runcorn care home when residents and staff donned their ten-gallon hats and mounted their (inflatable) horses.

A western themed open day was held at Simonsfield Care Home, on Boston Avenue, to raise money for the residents’ fund.

The care home’s garden was decorated as a saloon, with maintenance man and sheriff Simon Ireland serving BBQ food to patrons.

Entertainer Will Malone sang country and western themed songs throughout the day, staff rode their inflatable steeds for a horse dancing competition, and everyone joined in for a line dance.

Games such as dice sevens and cactus hoop toss also added to the Western theme, alongside a tombola, raffle, name that teddy competition, and cakes made by the kitchen team.

Halton Sensory Services attended the event to showcase their services, information service Sure Start to Later Life had a stall, and Dolly Ladies showed their comfort dolls and teddies.

The event raised £103 for the residents’ fund, which contributes towards activities and outings for those living at the care home.

Resident Barbara Haywood, 81, got into the spirit of the day when she donned her red cowgirl boots, poncho, and accessories from when she used to line dance with her partner.

She said: “This brings back so many fond memories. Yeehaw!”

Marie Derbyshire, 71, said: “I haven’t laughed so much in ages. What a great day.”

Jean Nevitt, 88, said: “Wonderful day. Love the horses.”

John Stewardson, 85, added: “Great day. Loved the entertainment. Lovely singer. I could have played my ukulele.”

Debbie Smith, home manager at Simonsfield Care Home, said: “Everyone had a brilliant day and a raised a fantastic amount for the residents’ fund.

“I want to thank the Dementia Dolls ladies who donated some lovely things for the residents and showed us all what they do for people living with dementia. They are amazing to do what they do to ease people’s anxiety.

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Scottish Care members have “reluctantly” decided to accept a 6% uplift in the National Care Home Contract rate that had been offered by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Following a week-long vote, providers took ‘an extremely reluctant decision’ to accept the offer, which had been made in May.

The provider body said “immense and unique challenges” facing its members had been made “significantly harder” since the Scottish government funded Agenda for Change settlement which meant workers in the NHS undertaking the same or similar role as a care home care worker were now being paid over 19% more.

In a media statement Scottish Care said: “The National Care Home Contract (NCHC) has provided stability for those organisations who provide care and support in both residential and nursing homes, continuity for those who act as commissioners and purchase care home places for local people and transparency for those who are residents. This stability is very important because over 70% of care home residents are funded by the State and it is the national Government that essentially sets the pay and terms and conditions of the thousands of workers who are employed by charities, voluntary organisations, and private providers.”

“At the moment the NCHC rates for residential and 24/7 nursing care are £838 for a nursing home and £719 for a residential care home. This is equivalent to around £5 per hour for complex care and support.”

“The NCHC is renewed annually between Scottish Care which represents providers and COSLA representing Local Government. It is based upon a cost model which is now outdated, but offers transparency, including putting a cap on profit at 4%.”

“Care home providers are being faced with immense and unique challenges at the present time. The primary one of these relate to the challenge of recruiting and retaining staff. This has been made significantly harder since the Scottish Government funded Agenda for Change settlement which means that from April this year a care-worker in the NHS undertaking the same or similar role as a care home care worker is now being paid over 19% more. In addition, like many other sectors care homes have been faced with crippling cost of living pressures most especially in relation to energy costs which for smaller care homes have resulted in a 500% plus increase. The difference with other sectors is care homes cannot simply put their NCHC rates up.”

“Faced with these significant pressures we have sadly witnessed the largest number of care home closures the sector has experienced in the last few months and the very real fear is that this will escalate at speed. Every week at least one care home is closing down. Unfortunately, it is the small, rural, and remote private and charitable care homes which are not managing to continue operating. This is an especial risk in Scotland where most private providers are small family run businesses.”

“Scottish Care recognises the immense pressure that local government is under, and we recognise that the offer made by COSLA of a 6% increase – is realistically the best that they can offer without additional Scottish Government funding.”

“The main reason for initial rejection and this remains the case is that this rate will not pay frontline workers the £12 an hour as a stepping stone to the £15 per hour they deserve, nor address the critical energy, food and other cost issues.”

“Care homes have reluctantly decided to accept the 6% because after four months of discussions the lack of additional finance from Scottish Government is placing more and more of them at risk of closure.”

“Regretfully as many have stated to us by making the decision to accept, they are only delaying the inevitable which is that many will have to close their doors within the next year.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We are pleased Scottish Care members have voted to accept the offer from COSLA to agree the National Care Home Contract. We know the sector faces challenges and are committed to working with all partners to improve social care services.

“Over the last couple of years we have increased the pay for social care workers by more than 14%. We are looking at how we can plan for, attract, train, employ and nurture the workforce, working with COSLA on consistency of improved pay and conditions, improving access to training and development and ensuring a career in social care is attractive and rewarding.

“We are also continuing to work towards our commitment to increase spend in social care by 25% by the end of this Parliament, an increase of over £840 million.”

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Around 30 kindhearted walkers living at a New Forest care home have proved it’s never too late to get active and raise money for a worthy cause.

Residents of Colten Care’s Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst have spoken of their joy and sense of achievement in smashing a distance target and raising more than £1,100 for the Honeypot young carers’ charity.

Walking or using wheelchairs, the fundraisers originally set a target of 26.2 miles – the length of a marathon – by completing as many laps of their garden as they could using three routes graded for accessibility and number of steps.

But over three weeks, they surpassed this several times.

Companionship Team member Jo Anderson said: “We ended up completing 279,084 steps which equates to 139.5 miles so collectively we walked 5.3 marathons. How amazing is that!”

The residents, supported by team members, families and friends from the New Forest Walk to Work group, filled out ‘fitness passports’ to log their steps.

They were also invited to join exercise classes in the garden to help keep up the momentum.

June Farrow said: “We did our little bit, all pulled together. It just proves we can achieve anything when we put our mind to it.”

When she heard that the Get Active challenge had raised a total of £1,126 for Honeypot, the home’s main nominated charity for this year, Maureen Miller said: “It was absolutely marvellous how much we raised. I never thought that was possible. I have enjoyed my contribution especially our exercise classes we do at least twice a week.”

Shirley Jolliffe said: “Congratulations to all the carers and staff who accompanied the residents on the laps.”

And Richard Bavister said: “It was truly amazing the amount raised for Honeypot.”

Jo added: “This challenge was bought about by our residents’ desire to be more active. We already run two to three exercise classes a week and still they want more. As we all know, exercise is beneficial for people of all ages as it helps to maintain and improve physical functions such as balance, flexibility and strength.  This can make it easier to perform everyday tasks and help to reduce the risk of falls and injuries.  It promotes mental health and can improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost self-esteem and confidence.  It is never too late to start exercising as our wonderful residents have proved by taking up and completing this challenge. We presented everyone who took part with a rosette for their amazing contributions. And we would like to thank sponsor Alex Wilkins from Keyplan Wealth in Brockenhurst for adding to the total.”

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An 89-year-old care home resident has spoken of his joy and amazement at being part of a community pride parade waved on by thousands of smiling well-wishers.

Patrick Haddingham, who lives at Colten Care’s Avon Cliff in Bournemouth, was in a party from the home who joined the Bourne Free event through the town centre.

It was Patrick’s wish to be involved, having been a spectator of the parade in the past.

Team members at Avon Cliff responded to his request by speaking to the Bourne Free organisers to secure a spot for him and three fellow residents just in front of a Colten Care minibus.

They dressed in rainbow accessories and face paint, with Patrick adding more style to the fun by donning a shiny black and gold blazer and blue mirror sunglasses.

Patrick said: “What an amazing experience I had. I never thought I would be able to be on the parade at my age and I never thought I would see so many people in one place ever again. Seeing people smile and wave made my day. It was better than I could have imagined.”

The Colten party were given spot number nine on the parade route which led from East Cliff at Boscombe through the town centre to Meyrick Park.

Companionship Team member Elise Woolnough said: “We danced in the street to classic anthems, waved at the public and had huge smiles on our faces the entire way. The streets were filled with love and it was an electric atmosphere.

“We had comments from the crowd about how fantastic it was to see Colten Care being part of the parade, representing the LGBT community and reminding us that older people are part of the community.

“Patrick, in his snazziest blazer, drew plenty of compliments from people as we went past.

“He has been a resident with us at Avon Cliff for many years and has attended Bourne Free as a spectator a few times.

“He told us he loved it so much he would not only want to go again, but actually have the chance to be a part of it.

“We contacted Bourne Free and were thrilled to get a spot on the parade. We took Patrick and three other residents who are all allies of the LGBT community and were keen to support Partick on the day.”

Patrick’s fellow residents also spoke of their delight in taking part.

Edie Crowley said: “I enjoyed every minute. I really felt so alive and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Dawn Street said: “I don’t think I could feel any happier than I did on the day. It was emotional to be a part of. It was a day I will remember.”

Dottie Dixon: said: “For me, it was the best thing that has happened in a long time and to be in a group of people that all got into the spirit was amazing.”

This year’s Bourne Free was led by actor Su Pollard, star of the TV sitcom Hi-de-Hi! and a well-known pantomime performer, who travelled the route in a Bentley Continental.

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The NHS in England is facing a new normal of sickness absence in hospitals and community services having seen a 29% jump in the most recent calendar year compared with the year before the pandemic (an average of 5.6% in 2022 vs 4.3% in 2019), equating to an average of 17,000 additional staff off sick each day, according to new Nuffield Trust analysis for the BBC.

Analysis of staff sickness data published by the NHS shows that there were more staff off sick on any given month in 2022 than at the worst point in the year before the pandemic: even the month with the lowest rates of sickness in 2022 (May 2022 at 4.9%) was higher than December 2019, the worst month that year (4.86%).

In total across 2022, some 27 million days were lost to sickness absence, equivalent to 74,500 full-time staff, including some 20,400 nurses and 2,900 doctors. This increasing burden of sickness absence is thought to be contributing to higher costs and disruption for NHS providers, fuelling additional stress for remaining staff, and is a major push factor for staff leaving, leading to further disruption for patients and services.

While the increase in respiratory and infectious conditions is not surprising given Covid-19, there has also been a stark rise in staff who need to take sick days for anxiety, stress and burnout, which now account for a quarter of sick days. In total across 2022, some 6 million working days were lost in total to mental health and wellbeing reasons.

The analysis, All is not well: Sickness absence in the NHS in England, covered exclusively by the BBC, also found:

• The level of sickness absence is not equal around the country. By the end of 2022, the reported sickness rate in the North West stood at 7.4%, above the national average for hospital and community services, while London was 5.4%.
• All types of NHS trusts saw a substantial increase in sickness absences, but ambulance services have seen a particular spike with three ambulance trusts seeing one in 10 staff off sick on average every day in 2022.
• Ambulance staff (2.3 percentage point increase), ambulance support staff (3.2) and midwives (1.9) saw the largest rises in sick days in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic year.
• The sickness absence rate in the NHS in England remains well above the public sector average despite a national target to bring them down to this level.

The analysis of NHS data adds to further evidence that NHS staff are increasingly suffering from work-related stress. Over half (57%) of staff reported in the NHS annual staff survey going into work despite not feeling well.

Nuffield Trust Senior Fellow Dr Billy Palmer said:

“The health service is grappling with a difficult new normal when it comes to staff sickness leave. The increasing numbers taking time away from work feeds into a seemingly unsustainable cycle of increased work leading to burnout and then more people choosing to leave.

“Monthly sickness absence rates last year never once fell below even the worst point pre-pandemic. These sustained, higher rates of sickness absence are equivalent to taking some 17,000 staff out of the NHS.

“There has been a lot of focus on recruitment and bringing staff in or back, but we need more endeavour to improve the working conditions of existing staff and protect them from illness. The NHS workforce plan needs to have concrete support to enable employers to improve NHS staff experience if the service is to break this cycle of staff absences, sickness and leaving rates.”

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Healthcare provider HUC was delighted to welcome LibDem MP Daisy Cooper to its integrated urgent care hub within St Albans City Hospital last week (Friday, July 7).

In the week the NHS celebrated its 75th anniversary, the LibDems Spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing, and Social Care visited the hospital to say a big ‘thank you’ to staff there.

During the course of her visit, Ms Cooper stopped off at the integrated urgent care hub [IUCH] to talk to HUC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Sivanthi Sivakumar and colleagues from the organisation, which is also responsible for the 111 service in the area.

“It was really fantastic to meet members of staff and leadership team at the hospital for the NHS’s 75th birthday. And it was great to see the recently opened IUCH up and running and providing same-day appointments,” said Ms Cooper.

“We were thrilled to welcome Daisy to the IUCH and give her an insight into what it does to ease the pressure on other parts of the hospital, and the wider healthcare system,” said Dr Sivakumar.

“Like their colleagues across the NHS, the HUC team routinely go above and beyond for the benefit of their patients, and it was great to see their efforts recognised.”

The IUCH, which opened in November 2022, treats a range of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. Offering appointments between 9am and 6pm, seven days a week, patients are booked into the service through either NHS 111 or their GP practice.

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A young football fan’s vision for a shirt design has been brought to life after he was announced the winner of a competition run by a care home.

Ahead of England’s Lionesses seeking to emulate their male counterparts by winning the World Cup this summer, Signature at Hendon Hall ran a competition among residents and the local community encouraging submissions of football shirt designs.

The winning design came from 8-year-old, Kyan Popat, whose shirt matched the same purple as the company’s colour concept, with a striking gold lightning bolt on the front. Kyan’s shirt design was then brought to life by the care home to mark his victory.

To mark Kyan’s win, the youngster and his classmates from Orion Primary School were invited to the care home for a presentation. The shirt will now be framed and will take pride of place in the home’s Bar 66.

Kyan’s shirt adds to the home’s impressive connection to the beautiful game, having played host to the 1966 England World Cup winning team, who stayed at the home throughout the tournament.

To further commemorate Kyan’s design victory, and continue the home’s proud football heritage, residents at the care home were treated to witnessing the awards ceremony and joining in the activities, which included football in the garden and mini golf in the care home’s Othello Hall.

Kyan Popat, said: “I am so happy that I designed a football top and Signature created it into an actual jersey! I like it so much and feel incredible right now.”

David Speller, Maintenance Manager at Signature at Hendon Hall, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Kyan and his teammates to the home, and to see Kyan’s shirt take shape. It will go down as a classic!”

“Seeing our residents and younger members of the community enjoy time together is richly rewarding. These visits are so beneficial to both generations.

“We will all be cheering on the Lionesses from Hendon Hall, who can count on our support which truly comes from fans of all ages!”

Rachel Shear, Co-Head at Orion Primary School, said: “This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to support their winning classmate and to also chat and engage with the residents. At The Orion, we say our pupils are Kindness Kids and this was a chance to show this within the local community.

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Alzheimer’s Disease International has announced that Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan has become an Honorary Ambassador.

HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein is an internationally renowned figure in global health and is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) patron of nursing and midwifery in the Eastern Mediterranean region and an honorary adviser for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Development in Jordan.

On the appointment, HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein said: “I am delighted to have been appointed an Honorary Ambassador of ADI. Dementia is a condition which affects millions globally, with particularly high numbers forecast for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In my capacity as Honorary Ambassador, I look forward to raising awareness of dementia, as we work towards improving the lives of all of those living with the condition, their carers and families.”

Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein is the fourth global Ambassador to join ADI, alongside Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain and Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, former President of Costa Rica.

On the appointment, ADI CEO Paola Barbarino said: “We are delighted and honoured that Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein has accepted our invitation to become an Ambassador of ADI. Her Royal Highness’ outstanding work in global health and nursing will be critical for raising awareness about the condition, which is expected to affect over 13.8 million people by 2050 in the MENA region.”

Founder and President of Al Oun for Alzheimer’s Patients Care Association Jordan, Hamza Nouri said: “On behalf of Al Oun for Alzheimer’s Patients Care Association and the Middle East, we are honoured to work alongside HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein in dementia care and welcome the news of HRH becoming the Honorary Ambassador to Alzheimer’s Disease International. Her Royal Highness’s passion and commitment to improving the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers is an inspiration to us all. We are confident that, together, we can make a real difference in the fight against this condition.”

Dementia currently affects 55 million people globally, a figure set to increase to 139 million by 2050. Within the Middle East and North Africa, data from the WHO shows that dementia currently affects around 3 million people, a number predicted to increase by 367 percent to over 13.8 million cases by 2050. The figures for Jordan are equally concerning with over 37,000 people living with the condition, a number set to increase by over 500% to over 232,000 by 2050.

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Exemplar Health Care, a leading provider of specialist care for adults living with complex needs, has announced a new partnership with The Brain Charity, a local organisation that supports people with neurological conditions.

The partnership involves a 12-week course called ‘Music Makes Us Move’, which consists of dance classes for residents at Kavanagh Place, an Exemplar Health Care home in Liverpool that supports people with neurological conditions including brain injuries and strokes, dementia, as well as mental health conditions and spinal injuries.

The dance classes are designed to help residents express themselves, stimulate their cognition, and improve their movement and wellbeing. The course is also part of a research project by The Brain Charity to evaluate the impact of song and dance on people with different neurological conditions.

The Brain Charity offers emotional support, practical help and social activities to anyone with a neurological condition and to their family, friends, and carers. Kavanagh Place residents have previously attended the charity’s hub, based in Liverpool city centre, where they offer a variety of different activities throughout the week such as a choir, board game afternoons and origami sessions.

Exemplar Health Care strongly advocates for community engagement among its residents through various means. Dance classes have proven to be an effective way of fostering a sense of togetherness, generating laughter, excitement, and brain stimulation.

Sarah Bamford Activities Co-ordinator at Kavanagh Place, said: “Working with The Brain Charity has been a fantastic experience. Their proximity and diverse range of activities make them an ideal partner for Exemplar Health Care. We have been pleasantly surprised by the level of participation and enjoyment our residents have derived from this partnership, and we hope the data generated from the 12-week programme will strengthen the case for the greater use of similar therapeutic interventions in care services across the city.”

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Orchard Care Homes’ Nesfield Lodge, Belle Isle, Leeds, welcomed pupils of local Clapgate Primary School, recently, when they came armed with craft materials to make suncatchers and birdhouses for the home’s much-loved garden.

The pupils and teachers from the school joined the home’s people for a morning of crafting and chatting – exchanging life experiences and reminiscing. The initiative forms part of Orchard’s ongoing commitment to community engagement which is vital in helping to build connections with their local area.

The birdhouses and suncatchers will be proudly displayed in the Nesfield Lodge gardens, hoping they will attract feathered visitors and be enjoyed by all. Crafting is a valuable activity for all ages as it promotes improved cognition, fine motor skills, and independence.

Danielle Bird, Activities co-ordinator at Orchard’s Nesfield Lodge, says: “Our ladies and gentlemen were thrilled to see the children and hear about their school life. Community activities such as these, not only help by mixing people of different ages and backgrounds, but also promote self-esteem, sociability, and confidence in pupils and our people. It’s important to exchange life experiences and promote a sense of community. We can’t wait to see them all again next month.”

Quality of care and invigorating best practice is at the forefront of Orchard Care Homes’ strategy. The group’s impressive record demonstrates the highest quality of care it provides its residents, with 100% of its homes now rated ‘Good’. In addition, the group has recently launched its Dementia Promise initiative and is committed to providing every colleague with bespoke, evidence-based dementia training relevant to their role, plus further investment in technology, recruitment, and its care home environments.

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AN APPEAL for birthday cards has been issued by a Huddersfield care home for a great grandmother who turns 100 next month.

Aden View Care Home, on Perseverance Street, Primrose Hill, is asking for support on behalf of resident Joyce Wilkinson, who celebrates her centenary on 19th August.

The care home’s staff are aiming to surprise the soon-to-be centenarian, who was born in Slaithwaite in 1923, with as many birthday cards as possible.

The home’s activities coordinator, Hayley Toyne, posted the appeal on Facebook, when she wrote: “I have a lady who hasn’t much family in the area who will be turning 100 on August 19th.

“I am putting a massive shout out for her to receive as many birthday cards as possible. I know I have many friends who will help make my lady’s birthday as special as she is.”

Joyce moved to Aden View Care Home in July 2018, where she enjoys taking part in the activities including arts and crafts, singing, and chair-based exercises.

The care home’s staff are planning on throwing her a party on her birthday, when they will surprise her with her cards and gifts.

Anyone who wishes to send Joyce well wishes for her 100th birthday can post to Joyce, Aden View Care Home, Perseverance Street, Primrose Hill, Huddersfield, HD4 6AP.

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Four in five of England’s largest councils overspend on their children’s services budget last year, with local authorities facing a surge in young people requiring care in the wake of the pandemic.

This soaring demand to help safeguard young people in 2021-22 – the year after three national lockdowns – forced 30 out of 36 county local authorities to overspend on their budgets by £317m, new analysis from the County Councils Network (CCN) reveals.

Councils in county areas saw some of the largest increases in England for referrals to children’s services, which are done when there are concerns about a young person’s safety and wellbeing. Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, there was a surge in over 20,000 extra referrals compared to a decrease of 1,400 year-on-year between 2018-19 and 2019-20, just before the pandemic struck: an increase of 8.8%. Councils say referrals are continuing to remain high due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The data is released today as part of a new report, which sets out how local authorities are supporting young people and their families despite these significant demand challenges.

The report, released as part of the CCN’s County Spotlight series, contains 18 case studies from across the country – plus stories from foster carers – which show how county local authorities are doing all they can for young people and how they are being creative with scarce funding.

The case studies are split across several themes, including prevention, managing acute demand, addressing workforce and foster carer pressures, and transforming and reforming services.

The report is released months after the government’s reforms package in children’s social care being unveiled. This includes extra investment into preventative and family services. But with the numbers of children in care at a record high, council leaders warn the funding committed is inadequate to effectively tackle the scale of the challenge.

The data in today’s County Spotlight shows:

• In total, four in five county local authorities – or 83% – overspent on their children’s services budget in 2021-22. Collectively, 30 out of 36 county authorities overspent on their budgets by a combined £316m. Nationally, all 151 councils with children’s services responsibility overspent by £946.5m.

• These overspends were driven by a surge in children requiring care. With referrals increasing in county areas by 8.8% post pandemic, the number of children in need – who require support from a local authority – rose by 16,030 between 2020-21 and 2021-22 sixteen times higher than the rise of 1,044 between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the year immediately before the pandemic. This 6% rise in county areas was higher than the national average rise of 4.9%.

• The number of children in local authority care in county areas increased by 1,079 young people over the same post-pandemic period: a 10.1% year-on-year rise. This is in contrast the months directly before the pandemic, when there was a decrease of 140 children requiring local authority care in 2019-20. Nationally, the number of children in council care is at a record high of 82,167 in 2021-22 – up from 66,180 in 2011-12.

• Despite the best efforts of local authorities, the number of foster carers has fallen dramatically year-on-year. The number of applications received by councils across England totalled 3,665 in 2021-22, down from 5,095 in 2020-21: a 28% decrease. In county areas, the number of applications to councils fell from 2,750 to 1,885 over the same time: a 31% decrease.

As the data shows, over the last few years councils have increasingly had to prioritise young people and families in crisis, rather than focusing on preventive and early help services. Council leaders say this is a ‘vicious circle’ which stores up problems for the future, but they have had little choice owing to budget pressures.

The government’s Children’s Social Care Implementation Plan, unveiled in February, has an emphasis on early help and keeping families together where possible, which is welcomed by councils. But with just £200m committed to invest in services over the next two years, local authority leaders warn this funding does not go far enough.

Cllr Keith Glazier, Children’s Services Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said:

“These concerning figures illustrate once again the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on vulnerable families. The latest figures show a surge in referrals, as well as higher numbers of children being taken into care.

“Faced with this spike in demand, most councils in county areas have had little choice but to overspend on their children’s services budgets to protect young people. Councils are being creative within the limits of their options: today’s report illustrates many great examples of how councils have invested in services, transformed ways of working, and undertaken social worker and foster carer recruitment drives over the past few years.

“But four in five county authorities overspending is unsustainable. Council leaders know we are in a vicious circle where scarce funds are prioritised towards young people in crisis, which is why we welcomed the government’s emphasis on prevention. But £200m committed to reforming services does not go far enough, and we are calling on the next government to prioritise greater investment into early help and family services.”

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One of Manchester City F.C.’s longest-standing supporters, who is a resident at the Belong Morris Feinmann care village in Didsbury, was over the ‘Blue Moon’ with a special visit from all three trophies from the club’s recent Treble winning season.

Geoffrey Rothband, who will be 103 next month and is a lifelong Manchester City fan, was treated to a private viewing of the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup trophies at the not-for-profit care village.

The club arranged for the silverware to be brought to him after finding out about one of their oldest supporters through his son, Nigel, who hosts weekly Manchester City podcast ‘The Man City Show’.

Geoffrey, who has witnessed all of the Manchester City’s top-flight wins in the past 100 years, was joined by his son, Nigel (aged 65), two grandchildren, Harry and Oliver, who are aged 28 and 31 respectively, and great grandson Jacob (aged 14), bringing together four generations of City fans for the occasion.

Other residents shared in the joy of the experience as the trophies were displayed for all to see in the village’s Venue. Amongst them was Norman Luft, who was the club’s doctor from 1976 to 2008 and is also a resident at Belong Morris Feinmann.

Commenting on the day, Geoffrey’s son, Nigel, said: “My dad has been a City fan all his life, and all of us are City fans because of him, so he was incredibly excited about today and to see his face when the trophies were brought in was wonderful. I’m so grateful to the club for making his day and clearly those of so many other people here.”

Belong Morris Feinmann General Manager, Carolyn Ball, added: “It’s great when we can be involved in some of the best days of people’s lives, even at the age of 102. Seeing the three trophies together is rare, and it’s particularly special for our die-hard Manchester City fans. We’re very grateful to Manchester City Football Club for this gesture and bringing the Belong community together, and I’d also like to thank the Rothband family for their part in making this happen.”

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Care England has today published its report ‘From Inception to Implementation: A Year of Integrated Care Systems.’

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “Attempts to integrate health and social care have been a national priority for a number of decades, albeit with limited success. This agenda has been accelerated following the introduction of 42 Integrated Care Systems last year. However, successful integration will not be materialised overnight. It will take time to overcome deep-rooted barriers. Bridging the gap between the health and social care sectors stretches beyond the reorganisation of the structures. It is about bringing system partners together under one banner, reforming practice, and improving service delivery. Outcomes must come before process and bureaucracy. Care England set out to analyse and reflect on the first year of ICSs and understand what has worked well, what has not and how we can accelerate the integration agenda. Now is the opportunity for change.”

Throughout May and June 2023, Care England conducted a series of qualitative interviews with ICS leaders from across England to understand their system’s key challenges and successes within four themes:

Published today, 10 July 2023, ‘From Inception to Implementation: A Year in Integrated Care Systems’ examines how Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) have developed since they were formally established in July 2022. The report seeks to place a specific focus on how ICSs have managed and overcome pressures associated with the planning, coordination and commissioning of health and care services.

• New structures and managing the change
• Identifying and overcoming the pressure points
• The priorities and ambitions
• Where do we go next?

The report concludes with a set of tangible recommendations aimed at both ICSs and the Government, which, if implemented, would further accelerate integration between health and social care, whilst overcoming system barriers identified through the report.

Recommendations include:

• ICS leaders should include a representative from adult social care on the ICP or ICB to represent the views of care providers. Additional vehicles should be created to gather insights from the care sector and aid strategic decision-making.
• The Government should allocate ringfenced national funding for ICSs over multiple years to support long-term planning and sustainability of the health and social care sector.
• ICSs should conduct a comprehensive market assessment of their adult social care markets, overseen by DHSC and NHS England, but under the scrutiny of the CQC.
• A national Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy should be developed by Government.
• Shared learning platforms should be developed at regional and national levels to promote collaboration and improvement in adult social care, NHS England, and ICSs.

The recommendations and findings are available on the Care England website. You can download the full report here.

In May 2023, Care England announced the expansion of its membership to include ICS. If you would like to find out more, please click here.

Martin Green continues: “As Integrated Care Systems embark on their second year, our report helps pave the way for how these systems can achieve their statutory functions and embrace an often overlooked sector as a critical long-term strategic partner to operationalise the integration agenda. The findings of the report, and the recommendations we present, capture a representative account of the challenges the health and social care sector faces and how we can seek to resolve them. We must shift our focus from organisations and processes to people and outcomes. This report should be recognised as important counsel to support ICS leaders in tackling integration challenges. Care England remains committed to supporting ICSs nationwide to ensure the continued progression toward meaningful integration.”

Jeff Banks, Director of Strategic Partners, Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System, says: “The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Partnership were pleased to have the opportunity of contributing to this study. As we develop our new Integrated Care System, we need to be prepared to engage in conversations with all parts of our system and to learn from these on how we can better work together to achieve our common objectives. We welcome the report and will review its findings with interest as we and our partners develop our relationships with the sector over the coming year.”

Jane Brennan, Director of Nursing (Adult Health and Care), Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, says: “Care England’s report offers a comprehensive account of the challenges and opportunities that have arisen since the inception of Integrated Care Systems a year ago. Whilst we believe we have made progress in accelerating the integration between health and social care, we realise more needs to be done, however, the ICB and systems partners are committed to continuous improvement. The report offers a blueprint for a way forward and one we will certainly look to keep close to us as we embark on our second year as a system.”

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