Introduction
From 1 April 2025, the agreed annual fee increases for the adult social care services we buy are:
- older people nursing and residential care: 2.9%
- learning disability nursing and residential care homes: 2.9%
- physical/sensory disability or mental health specialist nursing and residential care homes: 2.9%
- care within the home: 3.5%
- collaborative reablement: 3.5%
- extra care housing: 3.5%
- supported independent living across all client groups: 3.5%
- shared lives placements: 3.5%
- community outreach services: 3.5%
- day care services: 3.5%
- respite services for people with learning, physical or sensory disabilities or mental health problems: 3.5%
- housing related support: 3.5%
- unpaid carers: 3.5%
Older people nursing and residential care homes
As set out in the table below, we will be uplifting its guide prices for older people nursing and residential care home beds by 2.9% from 1 April 2025.
| Financial year | Residential | Residential enhanced | Nursing (excluding funded nursing care) | Nursing enhanced (excluding funded nursing care) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 to 2025 | £783.72 | £843.32 | £904.03 | £963.63 |
| 2025 to 2026 | £806.45 | £867.78 | £930.25 | £991.58 |
The prices set out above will apply as the guide prices at which we intend to purchase all new permanent and respite services in older people care homes in 2025 to 2026.
Existing placements at or below the current 2024 to 2025 guide prices for all providers that have applied and successfully been accepted onto the Residential and Nursing Care Contract by 31 March 2025 will be uplifted to the new 2025 to 2026 guide prices from 1 April 2025.
Uplifts for providers who have already joined the Residential and Nursing Care Contract will only be applied to placements at or below the relevant 2024 to 2025 guide price. In the relatively small number of cases where care home placements for older people have Enhanced Care Provision costs that are additional on top of the base placement cost in recognition of an individual's specific needs, this element of the care package will not be uplifted as it is subject to ongoing review of the person's care needs.
Any existing placements above the 2024 to 2025 guide prices or any placements at or below the 2024 to 2025 guide prices with providers who have not applied or been accepted onto the Residential and Nursing Care Contract by 31 March 2025 will not be uplifted.
If you operate a residential or nursing care home for older people and you wish to join our Residential and Nursing Care Contract, then please complete the Residential and Nursing Care New Provider application.
You can also email: ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk
Commissioners will contact you to outline the application process and the benefits of formally working with us. If you successfully join the Residential and Nursing Care Contract prior to 31 March 2025 then any existing placements commissioned by us at or below the 2024 to 2025 guide prices will be uplifted to the 2025 to 2026 guide prices from 1 April 2025. If you join the Residential and Nursing Care Contract during 2025 to 2026 then any existing placements commissioned by us at or below the 2024/25 guide prices will be uplifted to the 2025/26 guide prices from the date you join the contract.
Learning disability nursing and residential care homes
Fees for providers with a core weekly pricing agreement in place, or fees negotiated using CareCubed will be uplifted by 2.9% from 1 April 2025. Uplifts will be applied to both the core weekly fee and any additional personalised care. Schedule payments made for these services will be uplifted automatically by 2.9%
If fees for the care home you operate are in the process of being reviewed using CareCubed and this has not been completed by 31 March 2025, then the existing fees will not automatically be uplifted as the new fees that will be agreed through the CareCubed review process will include price changes for 2025 to 2026.
Fees for any learning disability care homes that do not have a pricing structure agreed through the previous Cost of Care project or more recently negotiated using CareCubed will not be uplifted. If providers wish to work with us to agree a new pricing structure using the widely recognised CareCubed pricing tool, then please contact us and we will get in touch to schedule this with you.
Email: ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk
Physical / sensory disability or mental health specialist nursing and residential care homes
Fees for any care homes that are identified by us as specialist services specifically focused on the provision of care for working age adults with physical or sensory disabilities, or mental health problems, will be uplifted by 2.9%. Uplifts will be applied to both the core weekly fee and any additional personalised care. Schedule payments made for these services will be uplifted automatically by 2.9% from 1 April 2025.
Services provided to residents whose primary need is a Physical/Sensory Disability (PSD) or Mental Health (MH) in care homes that are not specialist PSD or MH services will be subject to the fee uplift parameters for the relevant care sector (for example learning disability or older people care homes).
Care within the home (home based care, live in care, sleep in and waking nights)
Fees for all existing care packages with care providers active as at 31 March 2025 who had applied and been accepted onto the current Approved Provider List (APL) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) by 30 September 2024 will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025 This date is to align with the regular invoicing schedule for these services. This includes all existing packages with these providers at the agreed APL rates and packages that remain on legacy rates from previous frameworks or sourcing processes.
The APL DPS contract states that rates for care packages agreed up to 30 September each year will be automatically uplifted in April the following year by the agreed uplift for Care within the Home services unless the provider requests that the uplift is not applied. As such, all existing APL rates that have been in place since prior to 1 October 2024 will be uplifted by 3.5% from April 2025.
The APL DPS also states that where providers are accepted onto the DPS on or after 1 October each year, or where new increased rates are agreed with a provider on or after 1 October each year, the rates for these services will not be automatically uplifted in the April the following year, but will be eligible for the agreed uplifts from April in the next year after that. As such, rates agreed with providers between 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025 will not be uplifted from April 2025.
As previously notified, providers who have not applied to join and/or been accepted onto the APL DPS will not receive fee uplifts for any care packages currently funded by us.
Providers delivering block home care hours under Discharge to Assess arrangements fall outside of our uplift procedure as they remain funded by the NHS. Integrated Care Board NHS commissioners will determine any uplifts to be applied to these contracts and communicate this to providers separately.
If you have any queries or concerns about the fee uplifts, then please contact your lead Commissioner or contact the Home Based Care Commissioning Team and our commissioners will contact you to discuss.
Email homebasedcare@surreycc.gov.uk
Collaborative reablement services
The hourly rate applied to contracts we have commissioned for collaborative reablement services will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Providers will need to invoice at their current 2024 to 2025 rates plus 3.5%.
Extra care housing
Fees for formal extra care contracts for both planned care and emergency support will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
For planned care services, providers will need to invoice for these services at their current agreed 2024 to 2025 rates plus 3.5% as they are not paid by automatic schedule payments.
For emergency support, monthly schedule payments for these services will be made at the uplifted level.
Supported independent living care services across all client groups
We have commissioned a new Care and Support with Community Accommodation Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for supported independent living services across all client groups that went live on 1 April 2024.
Inflationary uplifts for 2025 to 2026 will be awarded to the settings for which providers have applied and been successfully accepted onto the DPS. Existing fees for daytime support and waking nights for packages at settings that are successfully accepted onto the new DPS by 31 March 2025, will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Where services are paid by schedule payments, they will be automatically uplifted by 3.5%. For any services for which providers still send invoices, providers will need to invoice at existing rates plus 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
For sleep in rates, these will be paid to all providers at a level that reflects the approach agreed with the sector and implemented from April 2023. All providers who have either not applied or not yet been successful in joining the DPS by 31 March 2025 will not receive inflationary uplifts for their existing care packages until such time as they are accepted onto the DPS. Providers will be able to join the DPS at intervals during 2025 to 2026 and existing care packages at settings included in their DPS 6 application will be uplifted by 3.5% in accordance with the date they successfully join the DPS.
Supported living sleep in rates - we will write to affected providers to confirm our revised sleep in rates to be applied from April 2025 for supported living services.
Shared lives placements
Fees for all shared lives placements will be uplifted by 5.3% from 1 April 2025.
Providers will need to invoice for these services at their current agreed 2024 to 2025 rates plus 5.3% from 1 April 2025 as they are not paid by automatic schedule payments.
Community outreach services
Fees for all community outreach placements will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Providers will need to invoice for these services at their current agreed 2024 to 2025 rates plus 3.5% from 1 April 2025 as they are not paid by automatic schedule payments.
Day care
Fees for all day care packages will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Providers will need to invoice for these services at their current agreed 2024 to 2025 rates plus 3.5% from 1 April 2025 as they are not paid by automatic schedule payments.
Respite services for people with learning, physical or sensory disabilities or mental health problems
Where we have an agreed pricing structure with providers for regular respite services, these rates will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Rates for all other respite placements for people with disabilities are agreed at the time of commissioning services based on the needs of the individual and recognising that these are short term care arrangements. This will continue to be the case, and as such rates for any existing temporary respite placements for people with disabilities of this type will not be uplifted.
Transport services
There will be no automatic uplifts applied to transport services provided to Adult Social Care (ASC) clients who are funded by us.
In many cases these transport arrangements are commissioned on a temporary basis, and it would not be appropriate to automatically uplift these arrangements.
Where there are regular ongoing transport arrangements in place for our funded ASC clients, these are often commissioned through our Transport Co-ordination Centre (TCC). Prices will be based on the terms of contracts tendered through TCC. Any uplifts agreed would be applied based on these contract terms and as such are outside of the remit of ASC service.
For any regular ongoing transport arrangements in place for our funded ASC clients that have not been commissioned through TCC, providers can email to make a case for an uplift to current fees and this will be considered.
Email ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk
Housing related support contracts
The total value of all housing related support contracts commissioned by our ASC service will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Payment of the uplift will automatically be included in your scheduled monthly payments. Alternatively, if you raise service related invoices please do so at the uplifted rate. If you need further information or assistance, please:
Email ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk.
Unpaid carers services
The total value of all contracts for services for unpaid carers commissioned by our ASC service will be uplifted by 3.5% from 1 April 2025.
Payment of the uplift will automatically be included in your scheduled monthly payments. Alternatively, if you raise service related invoices please do so at the uplifted rate. If you need further information or assistance, please:
Email ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk
Direct payments
It is expected that ASC providers will not apply uplifts that are higher than the rates they charge to residents who we provide with a direct payment and who make their own arrangements for meeting their support needs.
Providers are expected to notify the resident with a direct payment of any proposed increase. If the resident finds that the increase would exceed the direct payment they currently receive from us, then the direct payments recipient should contact their social worker or local ASC team so their direct payment can be reviewed and if appropriate amended accordingly.
Services not covered here
Organisations who are contracted by us to provide wider care and support services under specific contracts will be contacted separately if inflationary uplifts are to be applied to these services. If you have any questions about specific contracts you deliver that fall into this category, then please contact your commissioner:
Email ASC.CCSS.marketengagement@surreycc.gov.uk.
Services provided outside of Surrey
In some cases we will fund care packages for people living outside of Surrey. Where this is the case, then uplifts to these out of county packages may be applied, but in line with our inflationary uplift parameters set out above for each care sector, which may be different to the uplifts awarded by the host local authority.
We will not automatically match uplifts paid by a local authority in an area outside of Surrey in which our is funding a care package. In some instances we may require the costs for out of county packages to be benchmarked in order to ensure cost effectiveness ahead of an uplift being applied.
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