The Department of Health and Social Care has published new guidance to help local authorities in England with administering the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF).
As announced in the local government finance settlement, the value of the fund is £1.05 billion in 2025-26 and has the same three priority areas as before:
- Increasing fee rates paid to care providers.
- Increasing capacity and retention of the sector’s workforce.
- Reducing the waiting times for care.
The expectation from government is local authorities should maintain, and even make more, progress in these areas.
There are also reporting requirements placed on local authorities as part of the fund’s conditions. More information about these and the guidance more generally is available online: Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.
