The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has published its latest annual survey, which highlights the growing and urgent challenges facing councils as they work to enable people to have access to vital care and support to people with disabilities, long-term health conditions, and their carers amid unprecedented financial pressures.

The ‘ADASS Autumn Survey 2024’ was sent to every director of adult social services in the 153 English councils with social care responsibilities. This year, ADASS had a response rate of 86 percent. It was conducted between 12 September and 9 October.

A headline finding from the report is that, as it stands, 81 percent of councils expect to overspend their adult social care budgets this year – up from 72 percent in 2023/24 – with an estimated total overspend of £564 million.

The survey also revealed that a significantly increased number of councils are being required to make further in-year savings – 35 percent, compared to 19 percent in 2022. These savings come on top of the highest level of planned reductions in eight years, with a projected increase to £1.4 billion in required savings by 2025/26.

ADASS says this severely constrains councils’ ability to invest in essential areas like workforce development, preventive services, and support for unpaid carers.

This year’s survey examined councils’ challenges in meeting the UK Government’s vision of shifting health and social care from sickness to prevention, hospital to community and analogue to digital, which was reaffirmed in the government’s Autmn Budget 2024.

Looking at treatment of prevention, directors have positive evidence of what works in terms of prevention across a range of interventions, including what delivers a positive return on investment. However, they want to know more in order to go further and faster.

At the moment, operational priorities and financial pressures prevent them from doing more. The next policy cycle of the Better Care Fund is an opportunity to reorient the fund toward prevention, enabling health and social care partners to deliver the right care at the right time and place, according to ADASS.

Looking at hospital to community, ADASS emphasises that the social care workforce is fundamental to the success of community-based health and social care. ADASS’ recent survey underscores the importance of investing in the workforce, from local social care professionals to allied health roles, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists, which are essential to easing pressures on health and care systems alike.

Looking at analogue to digital, the survey uncovered that access to joined-up health and social care data is transformative in understanding people’s needs and making informed, effective policy decisions.

While Client Level Data is making strides, further collaboration is needed to unlock the potential of integrated data across health, housing, welfare, and social care, ADASS notes, empowering people with more choice and control over their care and informing sound policy and financial decisions.

Responding to the ADASS Autumn Survey 2024, Head of Practice and Workforce at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT), Suhailah Mohamed, said: “The lack of funding for social care is a huge concern – especially as the situation seems to have got worse since the spring. Social care services, which include occupational therapists, provide support for people at home so that they can continue to lead meaningful lives. With the right support at home, there will be fewer people reaching crisis point and needing to be admitted to hospital. So there would be less pressure on NHS services, particularly important as we come into the winter.

“Funding and resources need to be reallocated so we can do more with what little there is. That means moving more occupational therapists into community settings, so they can help people recover after a hospital stay, prevent them going back in again and, ideally, prevent them being admitted in the first place.

“Investment in the social care workforce is critical – more investment and more focus on recruitment and retention is vital. This would allow us to help those accessing social care services manage their symptoms and do the activities they want, need and love to do in life.  And support them to live in homes that are safe and suited to their abilities.”

Amy Little, Head of Advocacy at Leonard Cheshire, also commented on the ADASS Autumn Survey 2024: “A continued lack of adequate social care funding will leave disabled and older people without vital support in the year ahead and may cost lives.

“This stark report once again spells out the urgent need to stabilise adult social care, with 81 percent of councils on course to overspend on their budgets for this in the current financial year alone.

“Instead of alleviating the financial pressures on adult social care, the Autumn Budget has exacerbated them. The increases in care workers’ wages and employer national insurance contributions cannot be absorbed by non-profit providers or council budgets, piling on yet more financial pressure.

“The government must urgently meet the rising cost of care incurred by the Autumn Budget with an uplift in ring-fenced funding that reflects the real costs of adult social care.”