Herefordshire's ambition is simple…

Everyone should be able to live safe, well and independent lives in the place they call home, for as long as possible.

This Market Position Statement sets out how Herefordshire Council will actively shape and influence the local care and support market over the next 5 years, in line with national policy direction and local priorities. It explains why change is needed, what will change, and how we will work with providers, communities, housing partners, the NHS and the voluntary and community sector to build a system that is preventative, person‑centred and sustainable.

This Market Position Statement is not simply a description of current services. It describes a deliberate shift in commissioning approach, responding to increasing demand, workforce pressures and national expectations. It sets out how the council will move away from reactive, fragmented and short‑term approaches, and towards planned, partnership‑based models of care that improve outcomes for people and provide greater stability for providers and the workforce.

Throughout this Market Position Statement, "ageing well" is used as a whole‑life ambition – supporting people of all ages to live well, maintain independence and remain connected to their communities. Where the document specifically refers to "older people", this relates to later‑life support and services designed to respond to age‑related needs. This distinction is important to ensure clarity for partners and providers while maintaining a consistent life‑course approach.

This includes a clear focus on transitions, particularly supporting children and young people with additional or complex needs to move into adulthood through earlier planning, continuity of support and coordinated commissioning across children's and adults' services.

Where the voluntary and community sector is asked to deliver commissioned activity, this will be through funded, transparent and proportionate commissioning arrangements, and not an expectation of unpaid delivery.

What we want to achieve

We want to create a care and support system that:

• Works in partnership with care providers, the voluntary and community sector (VCS), housing partners and the NHS
• Helps people earlier, preventing escalation and reducing avoidable crisis
• Is easier to understand, easier to access and easier to navigate
• Supports people to remain independent at home and connected to their communities
• Builds a high‑quality, resilient and sustainable care market, capable of meeting rising and increasingly complex need

Our ambitions reflect national priorities for adult social care, including improving quality through a skilled and valued workforce, promoting independence and choice, strengthening prevention, and delivering more joined‑up care at neighbourhood‑level.

How the system will change

We are reshaping the local care and support system into a home‑first, community‑anchored model. This means:

• Reablement and enablement will be the default response wherever recovery or independence is possible
• Regulated home care will increasingly focus on personal care, complex needs and specialist support, rather than low‑level tasks that can be met through alternative community‑based provision
• The voluntary and community sector will play a stronger role in prevention, early help, wellbeing, social connection and practical support
• People will be supported to exercise greater choice and control through Direct Payments, Individual Service Funds and flexible community‑based options

Over time, this will lead to less reliance on long‑term institutional care, reduced use of crisis‑driven spot purchasing, and increased investment in planned pathways, prevention and neighbourhood‑based support. Commissioning decisions will increasingly be shaped around outcomes, continuity and sustainability, rather than short‑term activity or volume.

While much of our current demand and activity data is presented at a county‑wide level, the direction of travel is towards neighbourhood‑based and locality‑aligned models of care. Commissioning will increasingly support delivery that is rooted in local communities, aligned to NHS neighbourhood teams and responsive to local variation, particularly within home‑based and community‑led services.

This marks a clear transition from reactive, crisis‑driven responses to planned pathways, supported by earlier and more proactive engagement with providers.

Why change is needed

Herefordshire is experiencing significant and sustained pressures:

• An ageing population with increasingly complex health and care needs
• Growing demand from working‑age adults requiring lifelong or specialist support
• Workforce challenges including recruitment, retention, pay pressures and increasing skill requirements
• Cost pressures driven by wage inflation, rural travel, regulatory requirements and increasing complexity of care
• A strong but under‑utilised voluntary and community sector with over 2,000 organisations offering local support

National policy is clear that commissioning practice is a key driver of workforce stability, service quality and system sustainability. Without change, demand and cost will continue to rise, market fragility will worsen, and more people will enter long‑term or institutional care earlier than necessary.

What this means for providers

Providers should expect a more deliberate and planned approach to commissioning, with earlier and clearer engagement, fewer crisis‑driven responses and greater emphasis on agreed pathways.

Working with Herefordshire Council will increasingly mean earlier visibility of commissioning intentions, a shift away from reactive and crisis‑driven purchasing, and greater emphasis on planned pathways and longer‑term relationships.

Providers will be supported to plan, invest and adapt, with clearer expectations around outcomes, workforce stability and quality, and with commissioning approaches designed to support sustainability rather than short‑term activity.

We want to work with providers who:

• Deliver high‑quality, person‑centred and outcomes‑focused services
• Support independence, recovery and progression rather than long‑term dependency
• Are able to plan, adapt and innovate in line with changing demand
• Strengthen provision in rural and underserved parts of the county
• Invest in a stable, skilled workforce capable of supporting integrated, community‑based models of care

We are particularly keen to work with providers who wish to be part of longer‑term, more stable relationships, where there is clarity about expectations, quality and outcomes, and where the council plays an active role in shaping demand and supporting sustainability.

The voluntary and community sector is a critical partner in delivering prevention, early help and community‑based support. This Market Position Statement does not assume unpaid delivery. Where VCS organisations are asked to deliver statutory or commissioned activity, this will be through funded, transparent and proportionate commissioning arrangements. We want to be clearer about where there are opportunities for VCS organisations to contribute, innovate and grow as part of a sustainable local care market.

Our commitment

We commit to:

• Being clearer and earlier about our commissioning intentions
• Sharing market intelligence and demand information wherever possible
• Engaging providers in the design of future models of care
• Moving away from short‑term, transactional approaches where these undermine quality, workforce stability or continuity of care

Together, we will build a care and support market that enables people in Herefordshire to live well, and gives providers the confidence to invest, grow and adapt for the future.