Adult Social Care Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Joint Foreword
Welcome to our Adult’s Annual Report, describing some of our key achievements and challenges within adult social care from April 2024 to March 2025, as well as setting out next steps across our strategy areas.
I continue to be incredibly proud of our social care workforce and all we achieve together. This report recognises the hard work, innovation and commitment of our workforce, that supports people to live well and be well connected.
I would also like to acknowledge the great contribution made by our dedicated voluntary sector and our many other partners who work with us to make a huge difference to the lives of our most vulnerable residents.
Into the future we will continue to work with our experts by experience and partner organisations ensuring that peoples voice and collaboration is the golden thread throughout our work.
This report showcases the fantastic achievements we have made within the council, recognising and celebrating our strengths, as well as the areas we are looking to enhance and do more in.
We will continue to work alongside people with lived experience ensuring we ‘ask, listen and ‘act’ and use their voice in influencing the design, development, delivery and evaluation of our wider care and support offer. We value and actively promote equality, diversity, and inclusion working in a strengths based, person centred and relational way to enable and support people to achieve the things that matter most to them.
We are the Experts by Experience Group. We work together to make sure that the voice of people is asked for, listened to and acted upon, making our place better for us all to live, work and enjoy.
The Experts by Experience group have done a lot of work this year, including being involved in interviews for apprenticeship social workers, and making changes to process and policies. We have continued to promote the Experts Together Pledge, where partnership organisations pledge to “ask, listen and act” to the voice of people using their services.
The council has a person focused approach and uses the voice of people with lived experience of services in all their work. Through our good connections with staff, we have felt listened to with our views, making changes and being involved in lots of different areas across the Council.
We are going from strength to strength, making sure that peoples voice is listened to and acted upon. We look forward to continuing to work with North Lincolnshire Council to help the people of North Lincolnshire!
Introduction
Welcome to the Local Account 2024/25 for North Lincolnshire Council. This document provides an overview of the activity within Adults & Health throughout the period April 2024 to March 2025, and outlines how we continue to work towards achieving the aims of our Adults Strategy 2023-25.
The highlights provided within this document link to key annual reports from across the service area including, the Adult Strategy, Experts Together Pledge Partnership, Community First and Principal Social Workers.
North Lincolnshire
Key Facts – council
North Lincolnshire Council is a unitary authority formed in 1996. It has 3,123 employees, 5,090 including schools. It has 19 electoral wards with 43 councillors. 27 Conservative and 16 Labour. The next elections are May 2027.
The budget for 2024/25 is £204 million for running services (revenue) and £77.5 million for buildings and infrastructure (capital).
Council priorities:
- Keeping people safe and well – to achieve a longer and better quality of life for our residents
- Enabling resilience and flourishing communities – to develop greater resilience and community spirit and enable people to identify and meet their ambitions
- Enabling economic growth and renewal – to ensure there are highly skilled jobs for a highly skilled workforce and the local economy supports efforts to reduce emissions
- Providing value for money for local tax payers – to ensure high quality services are provided for residents and the council is well-led.
Key Facts – population
We have a population of 170,087 and this is an increase of 1.5% since 2011.
Age profile
0 to 15 years – 17.8%, 16 to 64 years – 59.5%, 65+ – 22.7%. there is a 2% projected population growth 2025-43. Equivalent to over 3,000 extra residents.
Ethnicity profile
White – 94.3%, Asian/Asian British – 3.3%, Mixed/multiple ethnic group – 1.1%, Black/African/Caribbean/Black British – 0.5%, other ethnic group.
North Lincolnshire has more older people than most other areas and the population is continuing to age.
Local population of over 65s expected to grow by further 23% by 2043.
Local population of over 85s expected to grow by a further 69% by 2043.
Life expectancy
Males – 78.1 years, females 82.8 years.
Healthy life expectancy
Males – 60.4 years, females – 61.6 years.
Place
North Lincolnshire is an areas of 328 square miles on the South Bank of the Humber Estuary, equidistant between London and Edinburgh and within easy reach of large cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster, Lincoln and Hull.
The urban area of Scunthorpe, Ashby and Bottesford is home to just under half (46%) of North Lincolnshire’s population. The other 54% of local people live in 85 market towns, villages and hamlets.
- 66 parks and gardens and 17 nature reserves with a combined area of 1,455 acres
- 6 parks receiving green flag status- Central Park, Kingsway Gardens, Sheffield Park, Baysgarth park, Jubilee Park and Woodlands Memorial Park
- 77,196 homes over 3,200 more than in 2011
- £170,000 median house price – lower than rational
- 68% owned their own home – higher than the national average rates of home ownership
- 82% of care homes rated good or outstanding above the national average of 76%
- 83% of primary schools and 86% of secondary schools rated good or outstanding
- 65% of children achieve a ‘good level of development’ at age 4/5
- 61% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school
- 60% of students achieve a 9 to 4 pass in their English and maths GCSE
- Local children’s services rated outstanding by Ofsted
- 35% of people age 16 to 64 are qualified to RQF level 4 or higher
- More people in North Lincolnshire work in the manufacturing, construction and transportation and storage industries than the national average
- Local manufacturing industry generates 47% of economic output and 24% of employment
- Local construction industry generates 7% of economic output and 7% of employment
- £677 gross weekly pay. 7% of working-age people claim unemployment related benefits
- 5,665 active enterprises, equivalent to 1 business per 14 working people
- 40% of local jobs are highly skilled (jobs graded one to three on the standard occupational classification)
- Super-fast broadband available to 98% of households, with 88% able to access ultra-fast broadband.
Who do we support?
We work with partners, voluntary and community services and the wider social care workforce to support all vulnerable adults in North Lincolnshire, to prevent or reduce the need for longer term care and support, developing services that will enable people to live as independently as possible in a place they call home.
We provide information and advice as well as care and support services to people who are over 18, who have care and support needs and for those who are transitioning to adulthood.
This includes:
- People who are vulnerable and at risk of harm
- People experiencing domestic abuse
- Young people, who had previously been supported by children’s services, to transition to adulthood
- People with a learning disability
- People requiring support from Occupational Therapy and have care and support needs
- People with physical or sensory needs
- People experiencing mental ill health
- Older adults with care and support needs
- Carers who provide unpaid care to their family and loved ones
- People who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
People we supported over the past year
- 4,652 people received services following an assessment of their care needs with
- 2,329 people receiving long-term support
- 6,105 new people have contacted us for support, this is a decrease of 39% on the previous year
- 1,451 people received rehabilitation and reablement support, of which over 90% of people did not require longer term services to manage their care and support needs
- 84% of care homes and 96% of home care support is rated as good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as of January 2024
- 100% of carers who needed care and support in their own right, received a direct payment enabling them to have choice and control over how they receive and manage their support
- 371 people, who provide care for their loved ones, were supported to continue caring with a direct payment and 407 people were supported with advice and information
- Over 1000 people contacted the council for housing advice and support and 70% of people who present to the council as homeless or at risk of homelessness are offered assistance through our prevention duties. 123 people were rehoused in specialist supported accommodation.
People told us that services continue to support them to live in their own home safely, with 78% of people saying they had ‘control over their daily lives’. 92% of people in receipt of services told us the services they received helped them ‘feel safe and secure’.
Experts Together Pledge
The Experts Together Pledge was created in 2022 by people with lived experience, supported by professionals in Adults & Health at North Lincolnshire Council. The aim is to provide a platform for organisations to pledge a commitment to ensuring that people with lived experience of services are invited to share their experiences, their voices are heard and acted upon.
The Experts Together Pledge principles are to, Ask, Listen & Act
Comprising of partnership agencies and peoples voice group representatives from across North Lincolnshire, the Experts Together Pledge Partnership forums take place on a quarterly basis, sharing successes and listen to the asks of people with lived experience.
During this year the Experts Together Pledge partnership has celebrated successes in involving people with lived experience in the commissioning of services, developing of strategies, and co-production of information.
Our Adults’ Strategy
Our Adults Strategy 2023-2025 sets out our key areas for development and the change we want to see in making a real difference to adults with care and support needs and their Carers.
Our approach links to ongoing partnership working, bringing people, communities and organisations together to share resources and expertise, and was developed using evidence and lived experience
Our Priorities areas are:-
- Promoting Independence – Developing more models for independence, utilising housing and technologies and ensuring paid work is a real option for people.
- Embedding Integration – Community First approach enables people to remain and return to their own homes, families, jobs and communities.
- Transforming the care sector – Care at home to be more modern, enabling and progressive – all care to be good or outstanding.
- Enabling the workforce – To feel safe, supported, and enabled to be themselves, be well and healthy and confident to keep people in their own homes, families, jobs and communities.
Promoting Independence – key highlights
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund (May 23 – March 25) -Target number for people to be reached was 40: currently reached 75 in 9 months -187.5% overachieved to date
- Genie Connect was piloted as part of the Home First, supporting people to retain independence and reduce isolation. Supported living offer
AutonoME, a programme for young adults with care and support needs that supports with independent living skills and employment. - Carers In Partnership co-produced a Guide to Carers Breaks, and have continued to champion the continued use of hospital lanyards to identify Carers in hospitals.
- Working in partnership with councils across the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB area to shape and develop a Shared Lives offer. Shared Lives offers people of all ages with care and support needs the opportunity to live independently in their communities with support. Together, the person needing support and the Shared Lives carer share the carer’s family and community life.
Carers In Partnership
Pivotal in our work to promote independence of our residents and their communities across North Lincolnshire, is co-production.
The Carers In Partnership is a group that amplifies the voices of individuals with lived experience of being a carer, whether for a child or an adult. Their input has been crucial in reviewing the Carers’ Breaks guide, ensuring that the information reflects the needs of carers and encourages greater uptake of carers break packages.
In addition to contributing to service development, the Carers In Partnership group provides direct support to carers through group attendance and indirect support through the dissemination of information. Based on needs identified by the group, key speakers are invited to sessions to provide valuable information on topics that support carers. The information from these sessions is subsequently shared in the Carers’ newsletter, ensuring a broader reach and providing a format that can be retained for future reference.
Digital Technologies
Promoting independence and empowering people to live confidently and safely in their own homes is central to the North Lincolnshire Council strategy.
Through the piloting and implementation of digital technologies we have been sourcing opportunities and systems to support local residents.
A pilot of Genie Connect was undertaken, a system by which individuals are able to communicate with others, use for entertainment purposes, and raise an alarm should they require urgent help. As part of discussions on assisted technologies as part of the rehabilitation process at Sir John Mason House, the Genie Connect promotes independence and supports individuals in returning home following time in hospital. In addition, the Genie Connect technology has been used within Ashby Meadows, supporting independence in a more supported setting.
Promoting Independence – next steps
- Enhancing communications and documentation offered, supporting people (where appropriate) to use technology. We recognise that some people choose to receive a paper version and this is accommodated.
- Through developments in ‘Changing Lives, Changing Futures’, we will be supporting more younger adults to live independently and access voluntary and paid employment.
- Continue to share information, advice and guidance through ‘making every contact count’.
- Develop a model for integrated multiagency neighbourhood working which has a consistent and proportionate approach to intervention.
- Conduct Mystery Shop activity alongside people with lived experience, including accessibility of Taxi services.
- Strengthen how we engage with our communities to enable us to connect better and understand the perspectives of seldom heard voices; including strengthening the voice of Carers.
Embedding Integration – key highlights
- Community First Strategy published, setting out the direction and overall plan of action to achieve health and social care integration in North Lincolnshire.
- The commissioned Occupational Therapy Service came back to the council giving a dedicated focus on occupational therapy and multi disciplinary working.
- Pledge Event held brought together experts, partners and colleagues to share the positive impact the Experts Together Pledge has made since it was launched 2 years ago and to discuss future plans.
- Making It Real Integration Event – Attended by over 250 colleagues, the event focused on the plans to work in an integrated, person-centred way, ensuring that people experience better health and wellbeing outcomes in North Lincolnshire.
Sir John Mason House & SAFE Clinics
People benefit from care that is person-centred and co-ordinated across health and social care. Developing new ways of working and embedding this into practice allows us to achieve improved outcomes for those within our community.
Throughout the work undertaken at Sir John Mason House, has been the development of SAFE clinics. They allow a holistic SAFE care assessment to be carried out whilst individuals are a resident at Sir John Mason House. The assessments include the working together of partners, including staff from Sir John Mason House, SAFE Care GPs, Integrated Care Board and Occupational Therapists.
This project embeds integrated working within our services, with a focus on prevention of harm and promoting independence. Ensuring a partnership approach and involvement in assessments that reflect the holistic needs of individuals, this approach has further improved outcomes for people returning home.
All Age Autism Group
The All Age Autism Group is a partnership that oversees the implementation of an all-age autism plan to support autistic children and adults and their families/Carers in North Lincolnshire to be safe, well, prosperous and connected.
Membership to the group is broad allowing consideration for improvements that can be made across services and through collaborations.
Working to a delivery plan the group have a wide variety of activities being undertaken, including involvement of peoples voice in operational and strategic decisions, developing innovative models of accommodation and ensuring high quality training for workforce.
Embedding Integration – next steps
- Review and enhance how we support young people to transition into adult services including those experiencing risk outside the home & our young carers.
- Continue to improve outcomes for young people with care and support needs enabling them to live independent and fulfilled lives (health, care, independence and employability).
- Continue to deliver our Changing Lives, Changing Futures approach.
- Continue to share knowledge on safeguarding practice particularly around professional curiosity, carer awareness, legal literacy and trauma informed responses.
- Progression of the Urgent Care Strategy with further developments ongoing to further increase the number of people returning home from hospital stays.
- Through the Care at Home recommissioning ensure our approach is community focused and enables flexibility and growth in the care at home sector.
Transforming the Care Sector – key highlights
- Re-commissioning project for Care at Home in progress, transformative all age specification that enable continuous development of the Care Sector.
- Implemented Trusted Reviewer model across 5 Care at Home providers, connecting people into their communities, improving wellbeing and independence.
- Received national recognition for being one of the only local authorities to achieve 100% completion of capacity tracker information for residential and domiciliary care services.
- Happiness Programme pilot activity, transforming the delivery of activities to improve wellbeing and cognitive function across the care sector.
Greenacres Care Home – Happiness Programme
The Happiness Programme is an initiative helping to change the lives of people living with cognitive challenges. The programme uses light technology to provide meaningful activities for residents and has been implemented in Greenacres Care Home.
The Happiness Programme is used in group sessions on various surfaces and in individual rooms to support residents’ wellbeing. Residents on the Happiness Programme show improved cognitive abilities, smiling, and engaging with others, rediscovering skills.
Quiz programmes and “whack-a-mole” are popular, and some residents enjoy cleaning interactions. One resident with advanced dementia enjoys Welsh singing, which helps his memory and connects him to his heritage. Residents are more engaged and relaxed with the programme. Through the use of this digital technology, and provision within care settings, the opportunities for interactions and engagement in activities is increased, transforming care.
Day In The Life Videos
During 2024 we launched our “Day in the Life” videos. Aimed at transforming the care sector through increased recruitment and understanding of roles within our services, these videos were recorded with a wide variety of staff, showcasing the breadth of activity.
The Day in the Life videos provide an opportunity for our communities to understand roles within our services. The videos are being showcased across careers fairs, recruitment events, education placements and through social media.
The Day in the Life videos have also been promoted internally, providing broader understanding of roles and opportunity for individuals to consider professional growth and development opportunities that might be available to them.
Transforming the Care Sector – next steps
- Refresh our Rough Sleeper Strategy and approach to support the delivery of the aspiration to end rough sleeping.
- Expand the Trusted Reviewer project across more providers to enable more people to be better connected within their communities and to continue to upskill care sector providers so that they are more aligned at place.
- As part of our commitment to Co-production, we will review and develop ‘I statements’ with people with lived experience to ensure that people are at the heart of the service.
- Commissioning an all-age Care at Home framework with an outcomes based, transformational specification.
- Alongside our partners, we will review all shared out of area placements, to reshape our local provision and enable people to return to live in North Lincolnshire.
- Exploration and development of alternative housing options to support people to remain living in a place they call home.
Enabling the Workforce – key highlights
- Staff Recognition Event held at the Baths Hall to celebrate achievements and qualifications in Social Care.
- Launched Training and Development offer for external workforce available on the NLC website. A new manager ‘service induction’ in development with Learning Solutions. This is a 12/18 – month programme covering themes such as leadership and performance management.
- Diverse by Design implementation across the service, the programme is a framework to support adult social care and Councils to be employers that seek to improve EDI measures within the workplace.
- A manager’s training dashboard and an employee dashboard to monitor and plan future training.
- Attendance at job expo events, school career events and a streamlined work experience offer.
- New Induction for new starters and transfers including meet and greet with senior leaders and software applications induction.
- Technology group supporting teams with migration to SharePoint and use of other office technologies to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Enabling the Workforce – case studies and impact
A forum for new Registered Managers
Recognising an opportunity to support New Registered Managers, this year has seen the development of the ‘New Registered Managers Forum’. As part of a broader package of support, these forums are held face to face every 6 weeks and act as a supportive forum for new registered managers to meet with peers, building confidence in their new role.
The forums enable managers to form connections with peers and provide a supportive way to share learning through discussions of experiences, as well as sharing good practice.
The forum is one element of support available, with the Proud to Care website hosting information and documents to support new registered managers within their role.
Training Dashboard
During this reporting year, there has been the development of a pilot training dashboard system. This provides clear, up to date information on completed training for both individual workforce members and their managers.
Commencing with a pilot across selected departments, this activity has provided opportunity for increased oversight and assurance on staff training. Providing members of the workforce with tools that allow them to self-monitor and supports reflective discussions as part of the My Conversations process.
The use of dashboards within workforce development supports future planning of training activity across the service.
Enabling the Workforce – next steps
- Working with Local Authority colleagues across the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB area to develop projects to improve the lives of Carers and develop a shared lives programme via ‘Accelerated Reform Fund’.
- Improve available data and insight making best use of the new social care case management system to provide better access to data and maximise opportunities for improved and shared data sets.
- The implementation of a new case management system and piloting of new technologies to support the workforce to work in more effective and efficient ways.
- Delivery of Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) action plan which will improve insight into our workforce and recruitment practices.
- Taking part in the Gloriously Ordinary Language project, which will provide a collaboration opportunity with partners and people who use our services to look at the language we use.
- Pilot activity on a values-based recruitment approach and evaluating on how this approach can help the council improve recruitment and retention and enable a vibrant and dynamic workforce.
CQC Pilot Inspection
Took part as one of five CQC Pilot Assessments of local authorities Adult Social Care in 2023. It is expected that CQC will return in 2025 for a formal assessment.
What we spent…
Adult Social Care have delivered improvements throughout the year and increased the number of people supported to be safe and well.
- Gross expenditure – £87.442m (voluntary sector £222k)
- Short-term reablement and recovery – £17.147m
- Longer-term personalised care – £53.502m
- Other social support – £16.793m
Help us to get even better
Ask, Listen and Act
North Lincolnshire Council are committed to working with people who have care and support needs and their carers to shape our services and inform our strategic direction.
We would like to hear from you to help us do this. You may wish to be a part of projects that shape our services, join one of the partnership groups or give us your views and insight into experiences of using services in North Lincolnshire.
Throughout 2025 we are undertaking the Gloriously Ordinary Language, working together with representatives from our community and staff to refocus our use of language – we are welcoming expressions of interest to take part from members of our community!
To find our more about this opportunity, to provide us with your feedback or enquire about working with us on shaping our services please email us on expert.experience@northlincs.gov.uk or telephone us on 01724 297000.
