Adult Social Care Caseload and Workload Audit - Print version

Adult Social Care Caseload and Workload Audit 2024 to 2025

Adult Social Care Caseload and Workload Audit 2024/25

Our Adult Services Practice Quality Assurance Framework includes the requirement to undertake ‘Caseload and Workload Audits’. Good caseload management and supervision processes are critical to maintaining effective strength-based practice. We need to ensure, and be able to demonstrate, that staff are maintaining caseloads of suitable sizes and complexities.

Caution should always be used when looking at caseload numbers in isolation as this does not demonstrate any potential case weighting. This weighting is usually articulated in terms of complexity, risk and time (travel).

Approach

This is the third organisational audit undertaken to identify the average caseloads for social workers and social care professionals in the organisation. The first audit was undertaken in 2019 to 2020.

Methodology

Data collection on average caseloads levels within teams over a rolling 12-month period from August 2024 to July 2025.

Findings

Overview by professional role;

• Social worker average 18.4
• Community case worker average 22.2
• Occupational therapist average 29.7
• Occupational therapist assistant average 40.0

Overview of caseloads in key service areas;

• Older People Team average 16.4
• Visual and Hearing Impairment Team average 21.2
• Therapy Hospital Discharge Team average 12.3
• Adult Disability Team average 20.4
• Transitions Team average 17.9
• Transforming Care Team 19.8
• Promoting Independence Team average 18.3
• Hospital Discharge Team average 22.4
• Locality Integrated Team North average 16.7
• Locality Integrated Team North East average 16.2
• Locality Integrated Team South average 32.9
• LD Promoting Independence Team average 31.8
• Occupational Therapy Team average 39.1
• Continuing Healthcare Team average 29.9

Summary

Average caseloads across Adult Social Care appear to have decreased for social workers and community case workers. Caseloads for occupational therapists increased slightly but more significantly for occupational therapy assistants. This was accounted for by the service area as work involves less complex, short-term activities including low level equipment assessments (many of which are allocated via a booking system, so are pending this appointment).

Average caseloads for the Occupational Therapy Teams, LD Promoting Independence Team and Continuing Healthcare appear to have increased since the last audit. Service areas advised impact of re-assigning cases due to reprioritising work was contributing to higher numbers. Occupational Therapy team average caseloads impacted by Occupational therapy assistant caseload activity.

Caseload levels in the organisation do though appear reasonable on the whole and this was mirrored via feedback from staff within the Organisational Health Check Survey in 2024 to 2025 65% of staff say their caseload is fair and manageable (73% in 2022 to 2023, 81% in 2019, 43% in 2017).

The audit will be repeated in 24 months’ time.

Adult Social Care Caseload and Workload Audit 2023 to 2024

Our Adult Services Practice Quality Assurance Framework includes the requirement to undertake ‘Caseload and Workload Audits’. Good caseload management and supervision processes are critical to maintaining effective strength-based practice. We need to ensure, and be able to demonstrate, that staff are maintaining caseloads of suitable sizes and complexities.

Caution should always be used when looking at caseload numbers in isolation as this does not demonstrate any potential case weighting. This weighting is usually articulated in terms of complexity, risk and time (travel).

Approach

This is the second organisational audit undertaken to identify the average caseloads for social workers and social care professionals in the organisation. The first audit was undertaken in 2019 to 2020.

Methodology

Data collection on average caseloads levels within teams over a rolling 12 month period from July 2022 to June 2023.

Findings

Overview of caseloads in key service areas;

• Hospital Discharge Team average 32.9
• Therapy Hospital Discharge Team average 29.0
• Occupational Therapy Team average 30.1
• Visual and Hearing Impairment Team average 25.1
• Cares Team average 18.3
• Promoting Independence Team average 19.0
• Review Team average 14.7
• Continuing Healthcare Team average 14.9
• Short term services average 17.5
• Older People’s Team average 17.1
• Transitions Team average 10.7
• All Age Disability average 11.8
• Transforming Care Team 7.3

Summary

Average caseloads for the Hospital Discharge Team and Occupational Therapy Teams appear to have increased since the last audit. Team managers for the service areas acknowledged due to increased support for hospital discharge pathways, case complexity and 7-day service. Both areas advised impact of re-assigning cases due to reprioritising work was contributing to higher numbers.

Average caseloads for other teams showed potential decreases although by role and/or profession could suggest some general maintenance of levels.

Caseload levels in the organisation do though appear reasonable (taking into account impact of case reassigning) and this was mirrored via feedback from staff within the Organisational Health Check Survey in 2022 to 2023 73% of staff say their caseload is fair and manageable. (81% in 2019, 43% in 2017).

The audit will be repeated in 12 to 24 months’ time.

Adult Social Care Caseload and Workload Audit 2019 to 2020

Our Adult Services Practice Quality Assurance Framework includes the requirement to undertake ‘Caseload and Workload Audits’. Good caseload management and supervision processes are critical to maintaining effective strength-based practice. We need to ensure, and be able to demonstrate, that staff are maintaining caseloads of suitable sizes and complexities.

Caution should always be used when looking at caseload numbers in isolation as this does not demonstrate any potential case weighting. This weighting is usually articulated in terms of complexity, risk and time (travel).

Approach

Three-month audit period July to September 2019. Audit focused on Older People’s, All Age Disability and Occupational Therapy teams.

Methodology;

• Data collection on average caseloads levels within teams averaged over the months of July, August and September 2019
• Focus groups with practitioners and managers

Findings

Overview of caseloads in key service areas;

• Hospital Team average 20.6
• Occupational Therapy average 25.8
• Intake services average 13.8
• Older people review average 24.1
• Short term services average 21.4
• Older People case management average 26.9
• All Age Transitions average 18.9
• All Age case management average 19.6

Summary

• Caseload levels appear very reasonable, and this was felt and expressed and mirrored via feedback from staff within the Organisational Health Check Survey 2019 to 2020 with 81% of staff saying their caseload is fair and manageable
• Practitioners reported that managers had an awareness of their respective knowledge and expertise
• Practitioners feel able to raise concerns with their managers/supervisors regarding caseload and/or workload
• Managers able to articulate the numbers of cases a worker would normally be allocated and that cases are not allocated if workers don’t have capacity as this would mask demand
• Evidence of good practice in ensuring working between teams should demands arise

The audit will be repeated in 12 to 24 months’ time.