What the market sustainability and fair cost of care fund is, why it's important, how we'll support you, information we'll collect, national tools.
The government announced plans in 2021 to give funding for local authorities to pay providers a fair rate of care.
Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2025 to 2026: GOV.UK
We have collected information from health system partners and providers for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to:
- understand what a fair cost of care is
- find out what we need to do to ensure long term mutual sustainability
- make sure adults receiving care and support get the best possible outcomes
Following the results of the exercise, we submitted the following reports to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSG):
- pdf Cost of Care Report: 65+ Residential and Nursing Care Homes(1.05 MB)
- pdf Homecare Cost of Care Exercise 2022-23(1.49 MB)
- pdf Market Sustainability Plan, in line with Department of Health and Social Care requirements(539 KB)
- pdf Market Sustainability Plan findings and actions(531 KB)
Why it's important
Since 2023, more people who pay for their own care in care homes are able to ask us to arrange care on their behalf to get better value. They do this with section 18(3) of the Care Act 2014. People in domiciliary care can already ask us.
This aim of this is to help to address the difference in fees charged to some people who self-fund.
Providers who rely on subsidising state funded care with fees from people who self-fund will be affected by this change. Where this has an impact, we'll make sure:
- the market can be sustained
- fee rates are sustainable
By engaging with this process, you'll help to shape the future for care services in Bristol and the amount of funding we'll get.
How this is used
The government funding is designed to make sure we can prepare the market for reform and pay providers a fair cost of care, based on local circumstances.