Market Overview

The current annual spending on Learning Disability is about £4bn. There are 1,191,000 people who have Learning Disabilities, of which 189,000 Adults with a Learning Disability are known to Local Authorities.

The market, and therefore spend, is expected to grow by 3% a year in real terms. This is three times as fast as the growth in support for older people.

All Local Authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups are looking for efficiency savings on their annual care and support budgets.

The cost benefits of the Supported Independent Living Model are well documented, and the Government’s own analysis shows that a £1.6bn annual investment in housing related support services leads to cost savings of £3.41bn to the public purse.

This includes avoiding £315.2 million health and social care costs in a year. Expenditure by English councils on residential care for Adults with a Learning Disability accounts for 38% of total expenditure on Learning Disability.

These services involve a person living in their own home and receiving care and / or support in order to promote their independence. The care they receive is regulated by the Care Quality Commission. The support that people receive is continuous, but is tailored to individual needs. It aims to enable the person to be as autonomous and independent as possible, and usually involves social support rather than medical care.
— The Care Quality Commission's, (which regulates and assures the quality of social care services) definition of Supported Living