Annual fee uplift for our adult social care providers 2026 to 2027
We've agreed the fee uplift for adult social care providers that we commission for 2026 to 2027.
How we decide the fee uplift
We seek to balance:
- the cost pressures that care providers experience
- our duty to achieve a balanced budget and get value for money
- our responsibilities set out within the Care Act 2014
Fee uplifts from 1 April 2026 (Section A)
These fees will be applied automatically from 1 April 2026.
All invoices submitted at the end of the applicable payment period must take into account the changes in rates from this date.
| Type of care | Fee uplift |
|---|---|
| Home Care / Live In |
- 3% uplift for Lot 1 (standard) packages awarded through the DPV bringing the standard Home Care rate to £26.49 per hour - 3% uplift for any Lot 2 packages awarded through the DPV - 3% uplift for packages awarded outside of the DPV up to £26.49 per hour - Any packages awarded outside the DPV that are above £26.49 per hour will not be eligible for an uplift |
| Day Care / Extra Care (Spot) / Shared Lives and Other Community Care | - 3.5% uplift for all packages |
Fee uplift from 1 April 2026 (for packages that commenced before 1 January 2026) (Section B)
These fees will be applied automatically from 1 April 2026 for all packages that commenced prior to 1 January 2026.
Packages commencing on or after 1 January 2026 are not eligible for an uplift. This is because these packages would have commenced at current rates.
These fees exclude NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC) where it is applicable.
| Type of care | Weekly fee uplift |
|---|---|
| Nursing 65+ |
- 3.5% uplift for package price priced below £1,105 - 2% uplift for package price priced £1,105 and above and less than £1,475 - For package price priced £1,475 and above will not be eligible for an uplift |
| Residential 65+ |
- 3.5% uplift for package price priced below £1,115 - 2% uplift for package price priced £1,115 and above and less than £1,585 - Packages priced £1,585 and above will not be eligible for an uplift |
| Specialist Nursing 65+ |
- 3.5% uplift for package price priced below £1,245 - 2% uplift for package price priced £1,245 and above and less than £1,560 - Packages priced £1,560 and above will not be eligible for an uplift |
| Specialist Residential 65+ |
-3.5% uplift for package price priced below £1,175 - 2% uplift for package price priced £1,175 and above and less than £1,360 - For package price priced £1,360 and above will not be eligible for an uplift |
| Additional Support for Nursing and Residential 65+ | - Where a package includes additional support, this will receive the same uplift as the core support (for example, if 3.5% is awarded for core support, 3.5% is awarded for Additional Support) |
| Residential and Nursing 18 to 64 |
- 3.5% uplift for packages priced below £3,000 (including core and additional support) - For any packages priced £3,000 (including core and additional support) or above, the uplift will be only applied to the first £3,000 |
| Supported Living |
- 3.5% uplift for packages priced up to £3,000 (including core and additional support) -For any packages priced £3,000 or above, the uplift will only be applied to the first £3,000 (including core and additional support) - A secondary uplift will apply to the additional support hours associated with Supported Living packages to ensure the hourly rate is at least £16 per hour. For additional support hours priced £25 per hour or above will not be eligible for this secondary uplift. |
From April 2026, review the most up to date weekly rates for all packages delivered by your organisation on the Purchase Orders which available on the Provider Portal.
If you believe the annual fee uplift has not been applied correctly for your organisation, email contact Commissioning Finance: [email protected]
Which packages the fee uplifts apply to
For packages commissioned through the home care Dynamic Purchasing Vehicle (DPV), the decision applies to all packages of care regardless of whether they are funded by our Adult Social Care team or the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (formerly the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board).
For all other care types (including home care packages on spot terms and conditions), the decision applies to packages of care commissioned by us for adults with eligible social care needs. It also applies to packages of care commissioned by us for individuals who are eligible for Section 117 Aftercare.
It does not apply to any other care arranged by us where the responsible funder is Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (formerly the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West).
Any uplift to be awarded by the Thames Valley ICB for these packages will be communicated by the Thames Valley ICB.
If you've contacted us about your fees
If you have recently written to us regarding your organisation’s fees for 2026/27, the fee uplift awarded will be in line with our decision set out in sections A and B above.
Requesting an additional uplift
If your organisation requests an additional uplift, over and above the Council’s decision set out above, this will only be considered if your organisation can demonstrate an exceptional circumstance which impacts your organisation’s financial sustainability and risks the continuity of care.
In these circumstances, your organisation will be required to complete a detailed business case template and provide your organisations most recent accounts. If further information is required, this must be provided by your organisation to support your request. This information will then be considered by our commissioners, compared to a Care Cubed assessment and subject to review by our fee uplift panel.
Please note any additional fee uplift requests must be received by 30 June 2026 via [email protected]
Any requests received after this date may not be considered. In the absence of a request for an uplift due to exceptional circumstances the Council will consider that your organisation will continue to deliver care for the duration of this financial year at the rates applied.
If you need anything further
If you have any concerns about the financial position of your organisation, email our commissioning finance team on [email protected]
We would like to thank you for your continued support in providing care services to our residents.