Adult Social Care Commissioning

In Somerset we want people to live healthy and independent lives, supported by thriving and connected communities with timely and easy access to high quality and efficient support when they need it.

Our adult social care commissioning function in Somerset works to achieve this ambition, in partnership with providers, NHS, voluntary sector and people themselves.

Headed up by Deputy Director of Adult Social Care, Paul Coles, our service has a clear commitment to promoting people’s independence through enablement and embracing strengths-based, person-centred activity whilst also managing demand and ensuring value for money.

Market Position Statement

The Care Act 2014 sets out the law around market development in adult social care. Section 5 sets out duties on local authorities to facilitate a diverse, sustainable high quality market for their whole local population, including those who pay for their own care and to promote efficient and effective operation of the adult care and support market as a whole.

Our current Market Position Statement  sets out our vision for care and support services within Somerset.

The Market Position Statement is designed to help set out:

• How we see Somerset changing, how we are ambitious in responding to that change, and what it means for our customers and for our market
• How we are changing our approach in responding to both opportunities and challenges, and what you can expect from the Local Authority and our partners
• What we will want more of, less of, what different things we will want, and what we expect from you
• How we can continue to connect and involve the people of Somerset in all we say and do, now and into the future.

We will:

• Focus on the people of Somerset, not on organisational boundaries
• Help people to live a good life, remaining well and independent for as long as possible
• Invest more in prevention, with locally-provided care and support wherever feasible
• Move away from traditional bed-based models of care, whilst ensuring care homes are equipped to deal with specialist and future need.
• Embrace innovation and technology to enable significant transformation in the care that is delivered
• Enable conversations that focus on people’s strengths
• Promote greater self-involvement and management to ensure people remain in control of their own care and support and are ambitious in setting their own goals
• Work collaboratively with local communities, the voluntary sector, our health partners and care providers to pool collective resources and develop solutions together that enhance quality of life and promote independence
• Prioritise specialist care for those with the most complex needs when other options are no longer appropriate
• Commission new forms of accommodation and support to reduce reliance on traditional residential care and promote independent living.

Please see also our Adult Social Care Commissioning Strategy here: https://somersetprovidernetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Somerset-ASC-Commissioning-Strategy-FINAL.pdf

Adult Social Care Fees 2024/25

Somerset Council’s fees for the 2024/25 financial year were circulated to all care providers on 26/03/2024 

The table below shows the fees for 2024/25: 

We also have a dedicated page that has been created as a hub for important information and resources. We aim to support our care sector and professional colleagues in understanding requirements and best practice in relation to overseas recruitment. We also share useful resources on our International Recruitment page on a routine basis. You can find all the information if you visit: International Recruitment