Locality Context
North East Essex covers Colchester City and Tendring District with a population of 340,800 people. In this area there are 198,900 adults aged 18-64; 67,900 adults aged 65-84; and 10,200 adults aged 85 and over.*
North East Essex’s demographic data shows that people who are categorised ethnically as White (i.e., White British, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish; White Gypsy or Irish Traveller; White Roma) make up 91% of the population across Colchester and Tendring. People who are categorised ethnically as BAME account for 9% of the North East Essex population, as shown in the graph below.
Use the “ONS Map” drop down below to view an interactive map where you can see ethnicity demographics at a local authority district level.
*Population figures taken from the Projecting Older People Population Information System (POPPI) and Projecting Adult Needs and Service Information (PANSI) databases. Ethnicity demographic figures are taken from Office for National Statistics (ONS) subnational population projections by persons, males and females, by single year of age. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
In August 2021, Early Intervention and Ongoing Support teams were aligned to neighbourhoods defined by the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance Neighbourhood programme, this has allowed the teams to work closer with the community to wrap around adults within a smaller geography.
This plan brings together ICS, Alliance and ECC strategy, in line with the Health and Care Act (2022), which established new statutory Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships. The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a partnership between NHS, Local Authority, independent and voluntary sector teams, leaders and organisations with a shared focus on working collaboratively to achieve the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for the people of North East Essex.
Our Locality Director for North East Essex leads our Social Care Teams in this area. The Locality Director is also the Director for Mental Health services across Essex County Council Adult Social Care.
To support our vision of reducing inequality and ensuring we focus on the wider determinants of health, the North East Essex Alliance has adopted the Live Well model to make certain that our communities are supported and empowered at each stage of their life to be as well as possible.
The Integration and Partnership Locality Lead's role is to work with our social care teams, NHS, and other partners to design and deliver the integration of health and social care including assisting with decisions on the use of Better Care Fund and Discharge Fund budgets. Each quadrant has an Integration and Partnership Lead in place and the role is essential to supporting the development of relationships with key partners across the local system in our four quadrant areas (each the size of a large London borough), and identifying best practice in integration.
North East Essex Adult Social Care Teams are staffed with Social Workers, Occupational Therapist, and Community Support Workers to deliver intervention under the Care Act 2014 and are responsible for undertaking Care Act Assessments, planned and unplanned Social Care reviews, Mental Capacity Assessments, and Safeguarding activity under S42 of the Care Act 2014.
All teams are supportive of the identification and needs of formal carers and delivering the priorities in our Essex All Age Carers Strategy 2022-26. The strategy outlines how the Council, along with partners, will support unpaid carers of all ages undertake the invaluable contribution they make to society.
There are five neighbourhood teams responsible for postcode areas and have been aligned to mirror the structure of the local Primary Care Networks.
Tendring East covering postcode areas –CO12, CO13, CO14
Tendring West covering postcode areas –CO7 (if they pay their council tax to Tendring District Council), CO11, CO16 and CO15 4
Tendring South covering postcode areas –CO15
Colchester North and South covering postcode areas –CO4, CO6, CO7 (if council tax is paid to Colchester City Council) and some of CM8
Colchester Central covering postcode areas CO1, CO2, CO3 and CO5
Discharge to Assess
There are two Discharge to Assess Teams that work across the North East Essex area. The team undertake assessments with people that have left a hospital setting and are in an intermediate care service to determine their ongoing care and support needs. The team also support discharges from hospital as part of the Transfer of Care hub multi-disciplinary team working from Colchester General Hospital, Clacton, and Harwich Hospitals.
There are three specialism teams that work across the North East Essex area:
Learning Disabilities and Autism Team working with adults and their families who have a diagnosed learning disability and/or autism that is confirmed through psychology assessment. The team work closely with Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) and Essex Learning Disabilities Partnership.
Physical Sensory Impairment Team working with adults and their families who have a long term physical disability such as brain injury, stroke (under 65), and neurological condition. The team work closely with Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT).
Older Adults Mental Health Team working with adults and their families that have a diagnosed functional or organic mental health issue. The team also support the discharge planning of adults leaving mental health hospitals in partnership with the NHS mental health provider Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT)
The Adult Social Care workforce in North East Essex is made up of approximately 180 staff. We recognise and embrace the importance of a diverse workforce to reflect the communities in which we work and serve. We monitor the makeup of our workforce, and listen to our employees through surveys, networks, and our new cross-section of workforce ambassadors
North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance
Essex County Council works closely with NHS, Public Health, VCSFE organisations, and the communities of North East Essex in a partnership known as the North East Essex Alliance. The Alliance works collaboratively to achieve the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for the people of North East Essex. The Alliance recognises that no single organisation can tackle all the complex issues that lead to poorer health outcomes and inequalities across North East Essex, or deliver all the services that people might need to address their needs. Key areas of focus regarding health inequalities in North East Essex include:-
Life Expectancy
- 18+ years of inequality in life expectancy between the best and worst wards in North East Essex
- Between most and least deprived communities in Tendring, the difference in life expectancy is just below 8 years for women and 10 for men
- Between most and least deprived communities in Colchester, the difference in life expectancy is approximately 6 years for women and 8 for men
Poor mental health and social isolation
- Suicide rates in Tendring are the worst in Essex, and joint fourth worst in all of England. In Colchester, rates are considerably higher than the national average. The rate is 16.1 persons per 100,000 population in Tendring and it is 11.7 persons per 100,000 population in Colchester
- Rates of admissions in to hospital for self-harm in Tendring are the highest of all Essex districts, with Colchester being the second highest
- Tendring has the highest number of admission episodes for mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
High proportion of the population are living in the most deprived areas
- Tendring’s level of unemployment is the highest in Essex and is above England average
- Several Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in North East Essex fall within the most deprived 20% of the national population
- The national Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019 data showed that Colchester has 105 LSOAs of which 11 are ranked in the bottom two most deprived deciles nationally. This is equivalent to 10.5% of LSOAs in the area. Tendring has 89 LSOAs of which 27 are ranked in the bottom two most deprived deciles nationally. This is equivalent to 30.3% of LSOAs in the area. The LSOA which covers the Brooklands and Broadway areas of Jaywick was the most deprived LSOA in the country
Acute Hospitals
In North East Essex our social care teams work closely with our acute hospitals; Colchester Hospital, and Ipswich Hospital in East Suffolk. Both hospitals are managed by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Community Hospitals
In addition, we work alongside community hospitals in Clacton and Harwich; Clacton Hospital and Fryatt Community Hospital respectively.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT)
The Social Care Teams work closely with EPUT community mental health teams providing support to people experiencing mental illness both as inpatients and in the community, and providing social care support to people of working age and older adults with a range of needs.
Essex Learning Disabilities Partnership
The Social Care Teams work closely with Essex Learning Disabilities Partnership which is provided by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Trust and are responsible for all NHS Learning Disability community and inpatient service across Essex.
The community voluntary sector
North East Essex is supported by Community 360 in Colchester and Community Voluntary Service Tendring. Both services support with a range of services for organisations and individuals to improve peoples quality of life and work in partnership with statutory and 3rd sector services.
Housing
Colchester Borough Homes provides management and maintenance services to properties in the Colchester area. Tendring District Council provides management and maintenance services to properties in the Tendring district.
Essex County Council are working with both Colchester Borough Homes and Tendring District Council to deliver short term housing services for people that present with a housing and care need that does not require 24-hour care in a residential home. This is referred to as Stepping Stone Homes and there are two flats in Colchester and two in Tendring providing this short term service.
From 1st July 2022, Clinical Commissioning Groups were abolished and their functions transferred to the Integrated Care System (ICS). They consist of two Boards - the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB
The Suffolk and North East Essex ICB is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for Suffolk and North East Essex is spent. It is also responsible for developing a plan to improve people’s health, deliver higher quality care, and ensure health services are of high quality.
Suffolk and North East Essex ICP
The ICP is a statutory committee that brings together a full range of partners including NHS, local authorities, and voluntary and community organisations. The Partnership is responsible for producing an integrated care strategy on how to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population in the ICS area. The ICP plays a central role at system level in tackling health inequalities.
Better Care Fund
The Better Care Fund (BCF) programme supports local systems to successfully deliver the integration of health and social care in a way that supports person-centred care, sustainability, and better outcomes for people and carers.
Launched in 2015, the programme established pooled budgets between the NHS and local authorities, aiming to reduce the barriers often created by separate funding streams. The pooled budget is a combination of contributions from the following areas:
- minimum allocation from integrated care systems (ICSs)
- disabled facilities grant – local authority grant
- Better Care Fund, Improved BCF & Discharge Fund
ECC assessment of the market, January 2024
Residential Care
In residential services as of January 2024, there were 166 CQC registered care homes in North East Essex with a total of 3,614 beds. Of the 166 Care Homes, 104 are registered to support older people with a total of 3,023 beds which represents 84% of all beds available.
As of January 2024, 79% (131) of all Adult Social Care residential based services inspected by the CQC in North East Essex had been rated as either Outstanding or Good.
Domiciliary Care
As of January 2024, there were 99 locations registered with the CQC to provide Adult Social Care community based services in North East Essex. Of the 99 locations, 87 are registered to support older people which represents 88% of the market in North East Essex.
As of January 2024, 72% (71) Adult Social Care community based services inspected by the CQC in North East Essex had been rated as either Outstanding or Good.
*The above information is taken from the CQC care directory.
Care Homes
- There are 166 care homes that provide residential care in North East Essex which equates to 3,614 beds
Domiciliary Care
- There are 99 domiciliary providers located in North East Essex, 87 of which are registered to support older people
Intermediate Care
- Essex Cares Limited (ECL) deliver the core reablement services in the North Essex locality, based on a contract that commenced in May 2021
- There are two Independent Living Schemes in Tendring District that provide housing and onsite care these are, Beaumont House in Walton and Rosebank Park in Dovercourt. The schemes are managed by Orwell Housing Association
Domiciliary Care
In recent months there have been good levels of supply in the North Essex quadrant, this supply has been delivered by a combination of framework suppliers and the spot market. There are low levels of unsourced care in the locality.
There has been sufficient supply to meet demand in Colchester district, with low levels of unsourced care for a sustained period of time. To deliver its care requirements there has been some reliance on the spot market in more rural areas such as Manningtree and Mersea. There is the opportunity for Framework Suppliers to expand their capacity in wards that cover these areas.
In Tendring district currently there is good overall supply, there are challenges with seasonal availability of workforce during summer months reducing available supply at this time. The Council does experience some challenges to source care in wards that cover St Oysths/Brightlingsea/Great Bentley due to their rural locations, care needs for adults are primarily being met by the spot market in these locations. In the last year there has been a reduction in overall number of care providers without significant change in supply in the district due to provider transfers.
In North Essex, there has been a number of providers that have used the sponsorship scheme for overseas workers which has successfully brought additional supply to the locality.
Residential Care
- Difficult to recruit and retain staff
- Rising costs in utilities impacting the financial viability of homes
- Affordable nursing placements and DE capacity
- Seasonal pressures increasing demand for care services
Intermediate Care
- Increased operating costs (e.g. fuel) and the impact of inflation and interest rates.
- Geographical diversity, including the mix of urban and rural settings, and transport links
- Locality demographics and the availability of locality-based workforce
Domiciliary Care
The Council’s framework for domiciliary care services is expiring in 2025, and re-commissioning will commence during 2024.
Residential Care
The Council's framework for older people residential and nursing care expires in 2025. The contract is refreshed annually inviting existing providers to submit revised pricing and allows for new providers to make a tender submission to join.
Intermediate Care
Through the transformation of the Intermediate Care Programme, we have been working in partnership with NHS Partners and the Provider Market on a medium to long-term approach to reshape the intermediate care system. The aim is to bring together reablement services, bridging services, short-term care home provision, as well as NHS intermediate care services, to improve outcomes for people and ensure a joined up and integrated approach and process to service delivery.
Essex County Council plays an important and vital role helping to create social inclusive communities, this is not just within our own practises and policies but setting an example for other organisations and the Essex community as whole.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (the equality duty) was created under the Equality Act 2010 and came into force in 2011. It places a duty on local authorities to:
- consider how their policies and decisions affect people with protected characteristics.
- prevent discrimination and inequality.
- promote inclusion.
In Essex County Council we recognise that the workforce is representative of the communities we serve. Our vision is to enable the right environment and behaviour, so that individual and organisational equality, diversity, and inclusion is embedded in everything we do.
We will achieve our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion vision by focussing on three strategic strands:
- Improving Diversity
- Building an Inclusive Culture
- Ensuring Equality
Across all the localities we have introduced a wide range of workstreams and programmes to support creating a great place for people to live and work in.
Below is list of some of our strategies and programmes:
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Workforce Strategy 2023-25
- Levelling Up Strategy
- Quest programmes
- Zero Tolerance to Abuse Policy
- Care Workforce Strategy 2023-30
- Essex Disability Strategy 2023
- Meaningful Lives Matter programme
Through all these projects and plans we will look at how things are changing in different part of Essex, and how we can work more closely with our health partners and utilise new technology to bring everything together.
We want things to get better for everyone, and we want the change to be fair for all across the board.