Following the success of its Care Together programme, Cambridgeshire County Council has approved a collaborative and localised approach to commissioning all its adult social care services.
At a meeting of the council’s Adults and Health committee today (Thursday 3 July), councillors recognised the achievements of Care Together over the last three years and unanimously approved the proposal to embed its approach to commissioning adult social care services from March 2026 when the funding for the current programme ends.
Care Together was introduced in March 2022, as a four-year programme to support older people to live independently for longer. The programme deploys a local commissioner in each district or city to build strong connections with communities and partners, involving them directly in the co-design of future services so that they can be tailored to local needs.
The programme team works closely with other council services, including libraries and public health, as well as district and parish councils and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSE). As a result, Care Together has funded dozens of co-produced community activities that meet local needs and increase the offer of opportunities for physical and social activity. It has also supported libraries to host Dementia Friendly Cafés and helped to increase the number of over-65s accessing the ‘Healthy You’ service by 12%.
Another of Care Together’s aims is to improve homecare and offer more choice and flexibility by supporting the establishment and growth of Care Microenterprises (CMEs). These are small local businesses which can provide care and support services to adults of all ages in their local community, including personal care, help around the home and garden, or respite for carers. Over 70 CMEs now operate in Cambridgeshire, having attracted over 130 people to the local care workforce.
Under Care Together, Older Adults Social Inclusion Grants were awarded for community-based activities with an offer of physical activity included at each venue. These were funded for three years from 2022 and are benefiting 30% more people than previous ‘building-based’ offers, while responding to local needs and reaching some of the most isolated people.
To date, the council has also invested £830,000 in seed-funded projects to help older people stay active and socially included, benefitting over 6,300 people. The funding has helped to create 14 new types of physical activity opportunities, including walking football and mobile gyms. It has also helped community-based projects secure long-term funding, ensuring many of them will remain sustainable past the end of the Care Together programme.
Councillor Graham Wilson, chair of the Adults and Health Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We have an increasingly ageing population in Cambridgeshire, and one of our priorities is to empower older people to take control of their own health and wellbeing, enabling them to stay independent and living at home for as long as possible.
“With demand for adult social care forecasted to grow, we recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach to providing services doesn’t always offer targeted support for those who need it, or value for money for our taxpayers. The place-based approach to commissioning, which Care Together has pioneered, has proven its ability to create locally relevant and value for money services through greater collaboration and co-production. It also aligns with the government’s 10- year health plan announced this week, by bringing care closer to home and helping to keep people out of hospital and in their own homes where possible. Having already started to adopt a localised, community-based approach puts us in a strong position to support our local NHS.”
