Executive to discuss annual inflationary uplifts for commissioned adult social care and support providers
06 March 2025
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will discuss annual inflationary uplifts to current fee rates for its commissioned adult social care providers at a meeting on 13 March 2025.
The council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 to shape a diverse and sustainable residential and nursing care market to ensure adults’ and older people’s needs and outcomes are met.
The council will review uplifts for 2025/26 across the full range of adults and older peoples’ community-based provision which includes residential and nursing care, independent living schemes, home care, day care, and supported living.
As with other England local authorities, each year North Northamptonshire Council considers the need to make uplifts to current fee rates for our commissioned adult and older peoples’ social care providers.Cllr Gill Mercer, Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing
Uplift awards are discretionary and are aimed at supporting a sustainable local market of care. They remain a crucial lever in ensuring our providers can support social care as an attractive career option for people in North Northamptonshire.
By effectively targeting annual fee uplifts the council is supporting our contracted care providers’ ability to develop strategic responses to workforce challenges, including offering rates of pay that are competitive with other local sectors.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council
With inflationary cost pressures largely resulting from statutory increases to the National Living Wage (NLW) as well as changes to Employer National Insurance, the council is doing what it can to support providers in tackling a key challenge faced by the sector in recruiting and retaining a sufficient workforce.
Alongside the fee uplift for 2025/26 the council will sustain and retain our framework contract providers by utilising training opportunities, enhanced quality monitoring and support, and ongoing resources in development.
The total uplift for 2025/26 to be discussed by the council amounts to £4.095m, with figures calculated based on current commitment levels, comprising the following uplift fee payments:
- 5% for older people’s residential care
- 5% for older peoples’ dementia residential care
- 17% for older peoples’ nursing care (excluding funded nursing care)
- 17% for older peoples’ dementia nursing care (excluding funded nursing care)
- 5% for working age adults’ residential care
- 3.5% for supported living providers
- 3.5% for day opportunities
- 3.85% Independent living framework (extracare)
- 6.73% for direct payments where personal assistants are employed
The 17% uplift for older peoples’ nursing care and older peoples’ dementia nursing care represents an additional investment of 12% to incentivise providers to join the
council’s frameworks.
The uplifts will apply to new and ongoing placements that are funded by the council.