Social care services to 800 adults set to return to the council•Salford City Council

Adult social care services delivered to more than 800 residents in Salford are set to return to be delivered in-house by the city council.

The services have been delivered by community interest company Aspire for Intelligent Care and Support since 2015, with around 350 staff providing 744,000 hours of care a year for adults with care needs including learning disabilities, dementia and care for older people.

The decision, made by Salford City Council’s cabinet on Tuesday (22 April), will include a 10-month transition period until 31 March 2026 to enable the changes to be planned and delivered in consultation with staff involved and in partnership with Aspire to ensure that continuity of services remain in place for people receiving support and their families.

The decision follows on from a pledge in the council’s Corporate Plan 2024-2028 and values the people who work in adult social care while protecting services that support people in living independent and fulfilled lives in Salford.

Councillor John Merry, cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: “Following our pledge to work toward in-sourcing social care and the commitment in the council’s Corporate Plan 2024-28 to protect services that support our residents in Salford, significant work has been underway to develop recommendations on how to take this forward. The cabinet decision means that adult social care services currently being delivered under contract by Aspire will come back to the council’s adult social care directorate from April 2026. We are committed to working closely with Aspire and all staff involved to successfully manage the transition period.

“The services delivered by Aspire over the past 10 years have been an asset to the city, and we have seen a dedicated workforce provide high quality care and support to residents. We are excited about welcoming the Aspire team back into the council and learning from all the teams and their wealth of experience in terms of growing the services offered in the city.

“While we recognise the value the council places on social care and the drive to protect and professionalise the sector, we understand that this will mean a period of change for staff involved and every support will be provided to manage the transition. The knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm of Aspire staff will be of critical importance as we move back under council control and staff views and opinions will continue to be heard through the transition phase, and will continue when the services move back to the council.”

Lisa Dickinson, chief executive of Aspire for Intelligent Care and Support, said: “We are committed to working with the council through this transition period, while supporting our staff and ensuring that residents continue to receive the high quality of services required to meet their needs.”

Salford City Council is committed to creating a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city for all. To achieve this vision, it has set out seven interconnected priorities as the focus for our work from 2024 to 2028.

• Good growth
• A good home for all
• Tackling poverty and inequality
• Creating places where people want to live
• A child friendly city
• Responding to climate change
• Healthy lives and quality of care for all.

Find out more about our ambitions and how we intend to deliver them in our corporate plan, This is our Salford, at www.salford.gov.uk/this-is-our-salford

The plan builds on past successes and continues to find new and innovative ways to improve residents’ lives.

Salford continues its remarkable story of transformation with already much to celebrate as a city – more well-paid jobs, new affordable and social homes, thriving local schools, award-winning green spaces, iconic infrastructure, cleaner transport, more integrated health and care and a vibrant cultural scene.

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Date published

Friday 25 April 2025

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