FOI release

Supported living services for adults

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2026/01152

Received 14 May 2026

Published 12 June 2026

Request

Freedom of Information Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act/Environmental Information Regulations, I would like to request the following information:
This request is regarding residential and supported living services for adults with learning disabilities (LD), mental health (MH) and Complex Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Unless otherwise stated, please provide data for:
Financial Year 2024/2025 (previous FY)
Financial Year 2025/2026 (current FY)

Where averages are requested, please provide the arithmetic mean.
Please provide answers wherever possible separately for each category of LD, MH, and ASD.

1. Average Fee Rates (Framework Placements Only) Please provide the average fee rates paid to external providers on framework arrangements (excluding in-house services):

a. Residential care (weekly rate, £ per week)

Please provide the average weekly fee rates for the following service user groups:
i. Learning Disability (LD)
ii. Mental Health (MH)
iii. Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
iv. Please provide the overall average residential weekly fee.

b. Supported living (hourly rate, £ per hour)

Please provide the average hourly fee rates for the following service user groups:
i. Learning Disability (LD)

ii. Mental Health (MH)

iii. Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

iv. Please provide the overall average hourly supported living weekly fee.

c. If you have a complex framework rate please could you state this (£).

2. Spot Purchase Placements

1.
a. Please provide the total number of spot purchase placements commissioned in:
i. FY 2024/2025

ii. FY 2025/2026 (to date or full year if available)

b. Please provide the average weekly fee (£ per week) for spot purchase residential placements.

c. If available, please also provide average weekly fees banded as:
i. Low care needs
ii. Medium care needs
iii. High care needs
(If bandings are not formally defined, please provide your internal categorisation or confirm not held.)

Please provide the average hourly rate for spot purchase supported living placements.

3. Out of Area Placements
a. Please provide the number of out-of-area (out of county) placements commissioned for adult LD, Mental Health and Autism services in:
i. FY 2024/2025

ii. FY 2025/2026

b. Please define how your authority classifies an “out-of-area” placement.

4. Fee Uplifts

1. Please provide the average annual fee uplift (percentage) applied to externally commissioned LD, Mental Health and Autism services in FY 2024/2025.
Where possible, please separate by service type:

1. Residential care
2. Supported living

b. Please provide the proposed or implemented average annual fee uplift (percentage) for FY 2025/2026.
Where possible, please separate by service type:

1. Residential care
2. Supported living

5. Expenditure

1. Please provide total expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2024/2025:

1. LD,
2. ASD
3. MH

1. Please provide total expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2025/2026:

1. LD,

1. ASD

1. MH

Response

A: All rates that we purchase from the private market are done on a spot purchase basis.

A: Not applicable as per the above.

b. Supported living (hourly rate, £ per hour)

A: Framework rates

2025/26

Lower Rate £19.96 per hour

Higher rate £23.24 per hour

Sleep in £145.80 per night (9 hour)

2024/25

Lower Rate £18.48 per hour

Higher rate £21.52 per hour

Sleep in £135.00 per night (9 hour)

Please provide the average hourly fee rates for the following service user groups:
i. Learning Disability (LD)

A: Same as above, we do not differentiate based on Primary Support Reason

ii. Mental Health (MH)

A: Same as above, we do not differentiate based on Primary Support Reason

iii. Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A: This is not recorded as a Primary Support Reason within our system so we do not hold this information.

iv. Please provide the overall average hourly supported living weekly fee.

A: Same as above, we do not differentiate based on Primary Support Reason

c. If you have a complex framework rate please could you state this (£).

A: We do not have a complex framework rate

2. Spot Purchase Placements

1.
a. Please provide the total number of spot purchase placements commissioned in:
i. FY 2024/2025

A: Total numbers: 648

ii. FY 2025/2026 (to date or full year if available)

A: Total numbers: 655

b. Please provide the average weekly fee (£ per week) for spot purchase residential placements.

A: FY 2024/2025:

Average Weekly cost: £1098.96

The average cost figures include all care home placements, which includes a smaller number of ad hoc complex and high-cost placements which will directly affect the average costs calculations

FY 2025/2026:

Average Weekly cost: £1334.21

The average cost figures include all care home placements, which includes a smaller number of ad hoc complex and high-cost placements which will directly affect the average costs calculations

A: For care homes we do not formally categorise care costs in this L/M/H way. Our published standard rates for 2026/27rates are as follows: -

Service type	2026/27 rate
Residential care	£717.65
Nursing care (excluding Funded Nursing Care)	£818.62

Please provide the average hourly rate for spot purchase supported living placements.

A: Below are average weekly costs for spot purchased supported living for both years

2024/25: £799.58

2025/26: £1246.15

For 2025/26 the average is higher because of high cost out of county placements

3. Out of Area Placements
a. Please provide the number of out-of-area (out of county) placements commissioned for adult LD, Mental Health and Autism services in:
i. FY 2024/2025

Primary Support Reason	Permanent Residential	Supported Living
Learning Disability Support	38	6
Mental Health Support	7	5

ii. FY 2025/2026

Primary Support Reason	Permanent Residential	Supported Living
Learning Disability Support	42	5
Mental Health Support	6	6

b. Please define how your authority classifies an “out-of-area” placement.

A: This is any placement that is placed in a postcode that falls outside of Herefordshire Councils responsibility (that is any property where council tax is paid to Herefordshire council)

A: The above information is available on Herefordshire Councils website via the following links:

· Care Providers Annual Fee Review 2024–25: https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50117681/Care%20Providers%20Annual%20Fee%20Review%202024-25.pdf

· Care Providers Annual Fee Review 2025–26: https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50125425/Record%20of%20Operational%20Decision%20-%20Fee%20Uplifts%202025-26.docx.pdf

As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.

A: Please see below. We do not record expenditure specifically for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) so this cannot be provided. The team have provided the totals for LD (Learning Disabilities) and MH (Mental Health). Figures are gross expenditure.

Expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2024/2025:

LD, £5,422,000

MH £564,409

Expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2025/2026:

LD, £6,884,897

MH £624,474

Documents

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