Supported living services for adults - Find a freedom of information request

Supported living services for adults with a primary support need of learning disabilities (LD,) mental health (MH) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Supported living may also be called Supported accommodation or Supported housing and is a housing scheme where housing, support and care services are provided to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible in the community.

Long term care is provided to clients on an ongoing basis and varies from high intensity provision such as nursing care, to lower intensity support in the community such as the provision of direct payments to arrange regular home care visits.

Please note, that by MH, we mean 'Mental Health Support' and not 'Support with Memory and Cognition' or 'Substance Misuse Support'.

Please provide answers on the attached and accompanying spreadsheet, and wherever possible, please provide separate out for each category of LD, MH, and ASD.

1. Please could you supply the name, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for placements in supported living.

2. Please provide the total number of adults (aged 18-64) with a primary support need of learning disabilities (LD), autism (ASD), or mental health (MH) needs funded by the Council and receiving long-term care in supported living settings. Please provide data for the financial year 2021/22, 2022/23 and where possible, projected figures for 2023/24.

a. How many are placed in area (i.e. within the Council boundary)?

b. How many are placed out of area (i.e. outside the Council boundary)?

3. Please provide the number of (a) New joiners and (b) Leavers of adults (aged 18-64) with a primary support need of LD, ASD or MH needs in long-term supported living settings. Please provide data for the financial year 2021/22, 2022/23 and where possible, projected figures for 2023/24.

(Please note, by new joiner we mean an individual who is new to adult social care during the year, or was previously not in a long-term supported living setting. By leaver we mean a person whose case is closed with adult social care, or whose supported living placement has ended and been replaced by a different service (e.g. a residential placement))

a. New joiners

b. Leavers

4. Please provide a list of providers of supported living services used by the Council to place adults (aged 18-64) with a primary support need of LD, ASD or MH receiving long-term care. To clarify, this does not include sole providers of accommodation, such as Housing Associations; only registered care providers, and is only those providers registered as a care agency with the inspectorate. Please provide data for the latest month (if available); if not, the last financial year 2022/23

a. Please provide, for each provider, the number of adults aged 18-64 with LD, ASD and MH funded by the Council in long-term supported living placements.

b. Please provide total expenditure with each provider related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 with LD, ASD and MH.

5. Please provide the average weekly fee the Council pays to providers of long-term care in supported living settings for adults (aged 18-64) with LD, ASD and MH. Please provide data for the latest month (if available); if not, the last financial year 2022/23

6. Please provide the number of adults (aged 18-64) with a primary support need of LD, ASD and MH needs in supported living with fees per week of;

a. Less than £500

b. £500 to £749

c. £750 to £999

d. £1,000 to £1,249

e. £1,250 to £1,499

f. £1,500 to £1,999

g. £2,000 to £2,499

h. £2,500 or more

7. Please provide the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average hourly rate the Council pays to providers of supported living services for adults (aged 18-64) with a primary support need of LD, MH and ASD. Please provide data for the latest month (if available); if not, the last financial year 2022/23

a. Highest

b. Lowest

c. Average

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1. Justin Hackney Assistant Director justin.hackney@lincolnshire.gov.uk

2.a.

b.

3a.

b.

 4a.

b.

 5.

6a.

 b.

 c.

 d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

7a.

 b. 

c.

 Section 43 – Commercial Interests

The information for questions 4 & 5 is refused. We have included the list of providers. Section 43(2) states that "Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it)".

If we disclose the number of users for each provider including the amount, it would allow a person to calculate a breakdown of individual costs. This would highlight to each provider the costs of their competitors and would create an unfair tendering process. This would be detriment to each provider, especially those competing with the established providers.

The Council understands the public interest favor's disclosure of information because it is transparent and the public has an interest in how public funds are spent.

We must also consider the prejudice to providers who are competing against one another in a competitive market and how disclosure of the information would prejudice their commercial interests. This would displace trust in the Council and providers would be reluctant to provide their services to us and we would not achieve best value for money.

The public would not expect us to distort the procurement process which would adversely affect public spending. We are satisfied that the reasons to withhold the information outweigh the reason for disclosure.