LPS CARE MARKET ENGAGEMENT - Lancashire Carers Service

Lancashire Carers Service

Title

Lancashire Carers Service

Reference

JW/ASC/CAPH/LCC/26/1521

Description and objectives

The number of carers is expected to increase as the population ages, people live longer with complex conditions and more care continues to be delivered within family and community settings. Many carers balance caring responsibilities alongside employment, education, family commitments and their own health needs.

The Council recognises that while thousands of carers are currently known to services, many more remain unidentified and are therefore unable to benefit from available support. Hidden carers remain a significant challenge across Lancashire, particularly within working-age populations, rural communities and communities that traditionally experience barriers to accessing support.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) is in the process of undertaking an exercise to commission the Lancashire Carers Service. As part of an options appraisal, we wish to engage with key stakeholders in relation to a potential competitive procurement of the services.

Estimated contract dates/timescales

Estimated Service Commencement 01/09/2027

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

85000000

Contract locations

UK D4 – Lancashire

Deadline for responses to preliminary market engagement

11am Monday 3^rd August 2026.

Preliminary market engagement description

Lancashire Carers Assessment and Support Service

Lancashire is home to more than 112,000 unpaid carers, representing approximately 9.6% of the population aged five years and over. This is higher than the national average of 8.8%. The estimated value of unpaid care provided by carers across Lancashire is approximately £3.7 billion per year.

The number of carers is expected to increase as the population ages, people live longer with complex conditions and more care continues to be delivered within family and community settings. Many carers balance caring responsibilities alongside employment, education, family commitments and their own health needs.

The Council recognises that while thousands of carers are currently known to services, many more remain unidentified and are therefore unable to benefit from available support. Hidden carers remain a significant challenge across Lancashire, particularly within working-age populations, rural communities and communities that traditionally experience barriers to accessing support.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) is in the process of undertaking an exercise to commission the Lancashire Carers Service. As part of an options appraisal, we wish to engage with key stakeholders in relation to a potential competitive procurement of the services.

For the avoidance of doubt the proposals set out within the market engagement document are the potential options and are subject to change before the Invitation to Tender is published in the event that the service is procured via a competitive process

The Authority may publish the results of the Strongly Agree - Strongly Disagree questions, but will not publish the narrative submitted by respondents.