Residential and Nursing Care Market Position Statement 2025 - 2040 - Nursing Care
Market rating – Supply of care
The diagrams below are a judgement by Council commissioners of the supply, quality and workforce stability/sustainability of the nursing care sector in Walsall.
Current supply of nursing care in Walsall is rated green/amber. Nursing bed numbers per 10,000 population are considered good in Walsall and Walsall has larger nursing homes than other neighbouring authorities and a recent new entrant to the market. There is no community hospital in Walsall and no hospice pathways, hence increased reliance on nursing home capacity and management of high acuity in nursing homes.
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However, there are far fewer nursing homes than residential homes in Walsall (18 nursing homes and 15 dual registered nursing/ residential homes). It is also likely that, in the future as people live longer with more conditions, that demand for nursing care will increase more than for standard residential care. Because a Registered Nurse is required in a nursing home, there is greater demand for a social care nursing care workforce that needs to grow to manage demand and the complexity of nursing care in care homes.
It is considered that the supply of Pathway 2 beds and support needs review due to over-reliance on Pathway 3 beds and pathways and palliative and end of life pathways and supply.
Consideration needs to be given to whether there is sufficient supply of nursing care to meet current and projected nursing care needs and how supply is re-shaped or new supply encouraged to ensure sustainability of business and services to meet future nursing needs.
Market rating – quality of nursing care
The current quality of nursing care in Walsall is better than residential care. It is currently judged as amber/ green.
Good or better CQC ratings for nursing care services in Walsall is currently at 67% with requires improvement ratings at 16.5%. There is 16.5% of nursing provision awaiting inspection.
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Local assurance from the ICB Nursing Quality Team is that quality of nursing care is good with some room for continuous improvement. Fall rates and management, for example, are much improved and better performance than the Acute Trust.
Our ambition is to better support providers to move the dial to green fully across all nursing care providers to be in line with the Council and ICB’s vision for quality of services. Work underway by the ICB, the QICT and the Council alongside providers needs to be maintained and further invested in to achieve this, ensuring that we have the right nursing providers working in the Borough to deliver good quality nursing care.
Market Rating - Workforce Stability
The stability of the nursing care home workforce in Walsall is at risk and is rated red. There is a local workforce in Walsall, but retention and recruitment is difficult, which is a national as well as local issue. International recruitment issues and policy changes are also currently putting this care home nursing workforce at some risk. Commissioners flag issues of zero-hours contracts, an ageing nursing care home workforce and leadership pipeline challenges.
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