Nottingham City Council has launched its new Adult Social Care Strategy, Enabling Gloriously Ordinary Lives, setting out a clear and ambitious vision for Adult Social Care in the city over the next three years.
The strategy was approved at the council’s Executive Board meeting on Tuesday 22 September and provides a clear, coherent and shared direction for Adult Social Care in Nottingham for 2026-2029, ensuring a long-term vision for better outcomes, stronger assurance and sustainable services.
It sets out how the council and its partners will support residents to live well, stay connected to their communities and receive the right support at the right time.
Developed with people who draw on care and support, as well as carers, staff, communities and partner organisations, the strategy responds both to local priorities and the national challenges facing Adult Social Care.
It comes at a time of growing demand across the sector and follows the initial findings of the Independent Casey Commission, which highlighted fragmented services, workforce challenges and increasing pressures across the care system. Baroness Casey’s national consultation The Big Conversation on Care is open until April 2027.
At the heart of the strategy is a simple vision: enabling people to live ‘gloriously ordinary lives’ by supporting them to live in a place they call home, stay connected to the people and things they love and continue doing what matters to them.
The strategy represents a deliberate shift away from a reactive, crisis-led model towards one that is life-led, preventative, neighbourhood-based and focused on helping people live independently for longer. It commits to acting earlier to prevent needs escalating, reducing inequalities, strengthening support within communities and making co-production with residents and carers the standard way of working.
Importantly, the strategy has been shaped by extensive engagement with Nottingham residents, carers, community groups and staff. More than 900 people contributed through surveys, workforce events and community conversations across the city, helping to shape both the vision and priorities for the future of Adult Social Care.
Feedback showed strong support for helping people get support earlier, remain independent, stay connected to family, friends and community life, and continue living in a place they call home. Participants also highlighted the importance of supporting carers, strengthening neighbourhood-based support and ensuring people have greater choice and control over their lives.
The strategy also recognises Adult Social Care as a shared civic responsibility, bringing together the council, partners, communities and residents to help make Nottingham a place where people can live well, stay connected and access support when they need it.
The approach is underpinned by a commitment to relationship-based practice, supporting carers, making the best use of technology to promote independence, tackling inequalities and ensuring public money is used responsibly to improve lives and create sustainable services for the future.
Cllr Helen Kalsi, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “Our new strategy sets out a clear direction for the future of Adult Social Care in Nottingham and reflects our ambition to enable gloriously ordinary lives for the people we support.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to live in a place they call home, stay connected to the people and communities that matter to them, and have choice and control over their own life. Too often, social care systems respond when people reach crisis point. Our ambition is to act earlier, focus on prevention and build on people’s strengths so they can live well for longer.
“This strategy has been shaped by the voices of hundreds of Nottingham residents, carers, community groups and staff. Their input has been invaluable and told us they want support that helps people stay independent, connected and in control of their lives, and that is exactly what this strategy seeks to achieve.
“Despite the significant challenges facing Adult Social Care nationally, we are determined to create services that are person-centred, safe, sustainable and rooted in Nottingham’s communities. By working together with residents, carers, staff and partners, we can deliver better outcomes and build a system that is fit for the future.”
Central to the strategy is a commitment to ensuring people who draw on care and support, carers, communities and partners continue to play an active role in shaping and improving services.
The strategy will be delivered through a detailed Adult Social Care Improvement Plan, supported by workforce development, quality assurance, performance monitoring and continued engagement with residents.
For more information about the Adult Social Care Strategy, visit the Nottingham City Council website.