Residential and nursing services for older adults (aged 65 and over)

We commission residential and nursing services for older adults through a framework agreement. This framework has been developed to deliver person-centred care.

Currently, over 70 providers are registered to deliver services on behalf of the council, including 44 providers (54 care homes) within the Cumberland region.

In addition to the framework, the council’s in-house provider, Cumberland Care, also operates a further eight care homes within Cumberland.

We use a usual price banding. These bandings are:

• residential
• residential and nursing - physically frail
• residential dementia
• nursing dementia

The maximum capacity of care homes in Cumberland is 2,207 beds with a reported occupancy rate of 87%.

A number of the reported vacancies are currently unavailable, so the number of vacant admittable beds is closer to 8%, with less vacant admittable beds in residential dementia (6%) and nursing dementia (6%) services.

Refer to the Market position statement for Adult Social Care services: 2025 to 2029 document for stats and figures.

Market Profile

Cumberland benefits from a mixed market of independent and in-house provision, including providers with a strong local delivery presence, alongside organisations operating across wider geographies.

This combination supports both resilience and flexibility within the market, while also contributing to economic and social value within local communities.

Provision is not evenly distributed across the area, with relatively higher levels of residential and nursing capacity in parts of west Cumberland, compared to population need.

Demand and Need

Demand for residential and nursing in Cumberland is influenced by:

• a growing and ageing population
• increasing prevalence of dementia
• rising complexity of care needs

This is leading to increasing demand for higher acuity and specialist nursing provision, particularly in dementia nursing.

Market strengths
Mixed provision in terms of size, ownership and service type.
Strong availability of residential care across most areas.
High quality provision, with over 80% of services rated Good or Outstanding
Established provider base with a strong local delivery footprint

Market pressures and opportunities
Workforce recruitment and retention challenges across the sector.
Increasing demand for services supporting people with complex care needs.
Capacity and capability opportunity in nursing provision, particularly dementia nursing.
Opportunity to develop models that support higher acuity care.