A Shifting External Environment
Caring Together receives significant funding from Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Local Authorities (LAs) – both under strain. The organisation is:
- Commissioned by LAs for homecare and carer services in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk
- Funded in Norfolk through a Social Impact Bond managed by the Bridges Partnership
A key strategic decision was made to withdraw from local authority-funded homecare, which was financially unsustainable, and focus on building privately funded care services, where pricing and quality are within the organisation’s control.
NHS and ICB Reform
National healthcare reform adds further complexity:
- NHS England is being dissolved, with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) taking on centralised leadership
- ICBs have been instructed to reduce operating costs by 40–50%
- Local ICBs are expected to merge, with decisions due by July 2026
Caring Together is currently funded to support hospital discharge work in Cambridgeshire. The ICB mergers could create new opportunities – but they will also require adaptive leadership to manage evolving commissioning frameworks.
Local Government Restructuring
Further changes are on the horizon:
- The government plans to replace current local government structures with unitary authorities, each serving c500,000 residents
- In Cambridgeshire, this could result in two new authorities:
- One for Peterborough, Fenland, and Huntingdonshire
- Another for Cambridge City, South, and East Cambridgeshire
- Norfolk’s future structure remains unclear
- These changes are expected to come into effect by 1 April 2028
This shift will significantly influence how carer services are commissioned, and how organisations like Caring Together engage with public sector stakeholders.
The new chair will shape governance and strategy for the future of Caring Together, navigating this complexity with clarity and foresight, ensuring carers remain supported no matter how the external environment evolves.
