Subject: Agency expenditure on care workers in council led adult social care services
Please provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Scope clarification
For the purposes of this request:
• “Care workers” refers to frontline adult social care workers (e.g. reablement support workers, domiciliary care workers, support workers) and excludes qualified social workers, occupational therapists, clinicians, managers, or children’s services staff.
• “Council led services” refers only to services run directly by the council or by wholly council owned entities (e.g. local authority companies), and excludes independent/private providers commissioned via contracts or frameworks.
Q1. Total agency spend (care workers only)
For the financial year 2025/26, please state the total amount spent by the council on agency care workers working within council led adult social care services.
If the accounts are not finalised for 2025/26 please provide for the year 2024/25 and please reference this as the financial year you have used.
Q2. Spend by service type (care workers only)
Please provide a breakdown of the agency care worker spend 1 by service type, where available, for example:
• Reablement / Intermediate Care
• Discharge to Assess
• Council run supported living
• Urgent or crisis response services
• Other council run adult social care services
Q3. Hours supplied via agencies (if recorded)
For the same period, please provide:
• The total number of hours worked by agency care workers in council led adult social care services.
If hours are not recorded, please confirm this.
Q4. Agency charge rates (care workers)
Please confirm:
• The average hourly rate paid to agencies for care workers
• The highest and lowest hourly rates paid during the period
If rates vary by service, please provide ranges.
Q5. Separability of margin (if recorded)
If recorded information is held, please state whether the council records:
• The pay rate to the worker
• Separately from the agency fee or margin
If this information is not held, please confirm this explicitly.
Q6. Supplier list
Please provide a list of recruitment agencies that supplied care workers to council led adult social care services in the above period.
Q7. Workforce context
If available, please provide:
• The number of permanent care worker vacancies in council led adult social care services as at August 2026.