An investigation by the BBC Shared Data Unit has revealed lengthy waiting times experienced by people who need council care services in the UK. 

However, Cheshire East Council, who deliver social care services in Macclesfield, have refused to provide data on how long people have to wait for the service.

While patients can be assessed for support on the same day as referral in a small number of local authorities – the average wait is over a month in a third of the UK.

At one council in Wales, the average person waits more than 100 days just to be assessed as being eligible for support – then a further six months for that support to start. 

Cheshire East Council have the right to refuse Freedom of Information requests. However, 83 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales did provide this data.

Councils employ home carers directly but do not have enough in-house staff to meet the demand for care in their area. Instead they also tender individual home care 'contracts' which private companies or sole traders can bid for.

Despite the aforementioned refusal, Cheshire East Council did confirm that the number of contracts, hours and weeks handed back is on the rise. 

This figure was just one contract handed back in the 2021-22 financial year with 181.25 hours lost.

However, this increased sixfold to six contracts being handed back and 1411 hours handed back.

But these figures are still relatively low, with some local authorities having triple digits in the number of contracts handed back.

Across England, Scotland and Wales, at least 1,300 people died waiting for a care package to start during the last financial year.

More than 13,000 home-care packages were handed back to councils over the past two years - largely because companies lacked the staffing capacity to fulfil them.

More than a decade after a crucial report found the sector had become a "postcode lottery" of provision, the study finds large disparities still exist.

The BBC Shared Data Unit found that, while patients can be assessed on the same day as referral in some local authorities, while the average wait is over a month in a third of the UK.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it was investing £7.5billion into social care over the next two years.

The BBC Shared Data Unit also found evidence of a domiciliary care system - where people receive help in their own home - in trouble.

Age UK said this was leaving "substantial numbers of older people" experiencing disrupted care, which it said was "distressing". 

The result of delays across the system, it said, was leaving older people dying "before ever receiving the help they need."

But the National Care Association (NCA) and the Local Government Association (LGA) said the system was struggling through years of under-investment.

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