140 care employers in Cumberland could find you

Working in care in Cumberland

Carlisle, the west coast and the fells: what does care work look like in Cumberland?

Cumberland runs from Carlisle and the Scottish border down the Solway coast to Wigton, Maryport, Workington and Whitehaven, with the northern Lake District in between. Carlisle has by far the most care employers, with the west coast towns forming a second group. There are about as many care homes as home care agencies, and outside the towns the distances are long. Home care in a fell village or a farm on the Solway plain means a car, often on narrow roads, and winter weather is part of the job.

The west of the county is getting older quickly. In the 2021 Census, the old Allerdale district around Workington and Maryport had a median age of 48, up three years in a decade, and Copeland around Whitehaven reached 47 while its population fell. Fewer people of working age and more older residents is exactly the pattern that keeps carers in demand.

Cumberland Council, set up in 2023, lets people take their care budget as a direct payment and hire a personal assistant with it, which is why private PA roles turn up from the coast to the fells. The council also runs its own Shared Lives scheme, where carers share their home with an adult for daytime support, respite stays or a long term placement, with weekly allowances and paid time off.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust runs the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, plus community hospitals in places such as Workington, Wigton, Cockermouth and Maryport. Carlisle College offers a Health Access to Higher Education course and a Level 3 Extended Diploma, and Lakes College in Workington runs adult short courses including end of life and dementia care.

86% of the inspected care employers in Cumberland are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, close to the 84% across the North West and in line with England as a whole (85%).