The Department of Health and Social Care announced plans for neighbourhood commissioning of social care, in which councils will be encouraged to arrange home care across smaller geographical areas, with one or two main providers serving each neighbourhood. Under the plans, people receiving care at home would have a better chance of seeing the same carers regularly, while care workers could spend less of their day travelling between visits. New guidance and toolkits are due to be published in the spring, and the government said it will work with local authorities over the coming months to track their progress.

The department said councils can currently commission individual visits from multiple providers spread across large areas, meaning people may see different carers on different days. It cited research by the Health Innovation Network South West into care rounds across six providers in Bristol, which found that reorganising existing visits into geographical zones could potentially deliver the same care with 35% less staff time and 65% less driving.

The government presented the plans as a step towards a National Care Service, part of its shift of more care into the community under its 10-Year Health Plan. It said it is making an additional £4.6 billion funding available for local authorities in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26, is establishing a Fair Pay Agreement for care workers, and is developing an adult social care workforce plan. It stated that a National Care Service will be established in the next Parliament. The Homecare Association and Co-Chairs of the Care and Support Alliance welcomed neighbourhood commissioning, while noting that fees should cover the cost of care and that people should keep a real choice over who supports them.