Shropshire Council

Adult social care contact details, funding information, and care home listings for Shropshire.

Arranging care in Shropshire

Shropshire Council is the unitary authority responsible for adult social care across a large rural county in the West Midlands, covering Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Ludlow and Whitchurch, along with the market towns and villages that sit between them. Telford has its own unitary council, but many families across the wider Shropshire area still look to Shropshire Council for guidance when arranging care for an older relative.

How adult social care works locally

As a unitary authority, Shropshire Council handles all adult social care in one place, so families do not need to navigate a separate county or district team. The starting point is a call or online referral to Shropshire Council's First Point of Contact, who will arrange a free Care Act needs assessment. This looks at daily living, mobility, medication and safety at home, and helps decide whether support at home, a move into one of the local residential care homes, or nursing homes with clinical input would be most appropriate.

If ongoing support is recommended, a financial assessment follows. This reviews income, savings and property against the national capital thresholds to work out how much, if anything, the council will contribute. Even self funders are entitled to the needs assessment, and Shropshire Council can offer information and advice on choosing a provider.

The local care market and funding

Families in Shropshire have a genuinely wide choice, with around 200 CQC registered care homes spread from Oswestry down to Ludlow, ranging from small family run homes in rural villages to larger nursing homes near Shrewsbury and Whitchurch. Home care agencies also cover most postcodes, although rural travel can affect availability in the more remote areas around the Long Mynd and the Welsh border.

Typical weekly costs in the area are around £20 to £25 per hour for home care, roughly £900 to £1,100 for residential care homes, and £1,100 to £1,400 for nursing homes where a registered nurse is on site. Funding routes include local authority support after means testing, NHS Continuing Healthcare for those with a primary health need, NHS funded nursing care contributions, and self funding, often supported by deferred payment agreements arranged through Shropshire Council.