'We're so stretched': The cost of care laid bare

People in Lincolnshire are becoming increasingly reliant on council funding for their care, it is claimed, after BBC analysis shows almost 70p in every £1 is spent on social care by Lincolnshire County Council.

The sound of classical music wafts through from the open door to the day room at Tanglewood Nursing Home in Horncastle, where a four-piece ensemble group of violinists and cellists are playing to a group of elderly residents.

Sitting in her office, manager Alice O'Hare reflects on the pressures facing the sector.

"People are trying to look after their loved ones at home, partly because of the cost of care, so by the time they get to us they may have had a period off work so they can care and so their savings have diminished and the money isn't there," she says.

"More people are becoming more reliant on council funding for their care."

New BBC analysis shows 68% of Lincolnshire County Council's net budget was spent on adult and children's social care in 2024-25, the equivalent of £442m.

That is once income from fees and grants is taken away and it excludes education as government funding for schools is passed directly onto academies in many cases.

The council says it is seeing "higher numbers of referrals" and "more complex cases", but the government says it has recognised the sector's "urgent need for support" with extra funding.

At Tanglewood, 66 residents are looked after by 51 members of staff with weekly fees averaging £1,300, which O'Hare says is soon spent with costs rising.

When a place is council-funded, homes only get around £900, with owners relying on top-up fees from families which "is getting harder to get as people are so stretched", O'Hare adds.

In the day room, staff member Caroline Hughes is sitting with several residents while they sway to the music.

"Any other job I wouldn't do for minimum wage but the thrill and joy and I get from making people happy is worth it tenfold and we're a family," she says.

"I watch the carers work and they do so much and for such long hours."

The musicians leave and the residents move towards the tables set out for games before lunch is served.

Nurse and deputy manager Jessy Romy admits that the salaries can be a challenge for staff.

"Caring is a top reward job, yet it's always the minimum wage and sometimes it's not enough for the staff as everything is expensive," she says.

Recruiting staff into care jobs in a rural county like Lincolnshire can be a challenge, but the home has a full team some of whom have been there almost 30 years, says O'Hare.

Rising costs of petrol and other essentials is also taking its toll.

Some staff are asking to "squash their shifts together" and staying overnight at a friends' houses just to save on commuting costs, says O'Hare.

"It seems really extreme that they have to do that and the staff deliver the same care here as they do to their loved ones, but they're still only recognised as unskilled and they do sometimes feel a little bit forgotten about which is so sad," she says.

In a statement Hayley Eccles, deputy director of adult care at the county council, said adult social care is facing national workforce pressures, with "ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining experienced staff".

She added: "We are responding on several fronts, this includes strengthening recruitment and retention, redesigning services to reduce delays, making better use of digital tools to improve assessment processes, and working more closely with NHS partners to ensure people receive the right support at the right time."

The government insisted it was addressing the adult social care sector's "urgent need for support" with more than £4.6bn funding available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared with 2025-26.

"We are committed to building a National Care Service and Casey's Independent Commission will deliver its phase 1 recommendations this year to address immediate priorities for adult social care."

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