Cost of care
We have set out the findings of local cost of care exercises undertaken in 2021/22 for care homes for people over 65 and domiciliary care for people over 18.
Local cost of care homes(PDF, 269KB)
Local cost of domiciliary care (PDF, 173KB)
The attached documents set out the findings of mandated local cost of care exercises undertaken in 2021/22, for registered residential care and registered nursing care, for people aged over 65, and registered domiciliary care for people aged over 18. The cost of care exercise excludes provision of registered residential and nursing care for people aged 18-65, and unregistered services such as supported living arrangements and day care. As a result, the exercise is only a partial analysis of the local care market.
These documents have been produced in line with the Department of Health and Social Care’s mandatory requirements for the Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care fund, and accord with the Council’s market shaping duties under section 5 of the Care Act 2014.
No adjustments have been made to the data supplied by care providers e.g. to adjust for assumed occupancy levels, return on capital or operations or funding paid to providers during and after the Covid pandemic. Whilst Cheshire East Council has reviewed and validated returns, it can give no assurances as to the accuracy of the underlying data supplied by providers. Not all providers of registered residential and nursing care for people over 65 or registered domiciliary care for people aged over 18 chose to participate in the cost of care exercise, therefore this information may not reflect the full spectrum of costs.
It is important to note that as stated by the Department of Health and Social Care, ‘’the outcome of the cost of care exercise is not intended to be a replacement for the fee setting element of local authority commissioning processes or individual contract negotiation.‘’ When undertaking future fee reviews, we will have regard to the data and information collected, as well as the many local and national factors which are affecting the cost of care at present and noting the caveats and exclusions set out above and in the report to the Adults and Health Committee on 23rd January 2023.
Any final decision in respect of the Council’s budgets, including funding for adult social care will need to have due regard to all of the Council’s statutory duties including a council’s duty to deliver a balanced budget and the duty to obtain value for money, as referenced in sections 4.27, 4.60 and 4.61 of the Care and Support statutory guidance.
Market Sustainability Plan
Cheshire East Council’s Market Sustainability Plan provides an assessment of sustainability issues in the 65+ care home sector and 18+ domiciliary care sector and sets out the Council’s plans to support the sustainability of care markets.
The plan aligns with mandatory requirements set out by the Department of Health and Social Care in respect of the Market Sustainability and Improvement fund and takes account of findings from the cost of care exercise (see above), feedback from care providers and the Council’s priorities as set out in its Corporate Plan, Market Position Statement and related documents.
The plan also has due regard to the Council’s statutory market shaping duties under the Care Act and the duty to deliver a balanced budget and obtain value for money as referenced in sections 4.27, 4.60 and 4.61 of the Care and Support statutory guidance.
Page last reviewed: 27 March 2023