Local authorities are missing out on opportunities to prevent ill-health and boost independence and wellbeing because they are struggling to make the investment case for proactive and preventative care services, according to a commission established to explore the issue.

Led by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the TEC Services Association (TSA), the commission has heard from more than 50 social care leaders at councils across the UK. The majority of councils said that a lack of evidence, guidance, and best practice is hindering their ability to fund and scale preventative services that use technology-enabled care (TEC).

A common issue experienced by local authorities is a focus on getting investment to purchase technology solutions, but without consideration of everything else it takes to deliver real service transformation.

To tackle this issue, ADASS and TSA have spent the last eight months collecting proven approaches and benefits cases to create a free-to-use, practical blueprint for planning, implementing and scaling digital proactive and preventative care services.

Building on examples of successful investment in proactive and preventative care services by UK councils, the blueprint provides a step-by-step guide, a services overview, and financial models that other local authorities can adopt.

More than 100 people working in and drawing on social care have been involved in designing this practical tool. They include individuals with lived experience, social workers, occupational therapists, local authority TEC commissioners, TEC suppliers, and directors of adult social services.

It is titled ‘Unlocking the Power of Proactive and Preventative Care Services’ and can be downloaded for free on the TSA website.

Sir David Pearson, Chair of TEC Quality and Co-Chair of the commission, said: “With increasing need and pressure on resources, councils need to innovate more than ever so people and families can draw on the right support that improves their lives.

“Proactive and preventative services can help the government achieve its vision of shifting care from hospitals to the community, from treating sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital services. I believe this blueprint offers a practical roadmap to enable councils to realise these aspirations with the communities they serve.”

The blueprint is separated into four phases that local authorities can follow. Councils can follow the blueprint step by step or in individual parts, depending on where they are at in their journey.

The first phase is ‘Strategy Assessment and Initial Planning’. This involves councils setting out their vision and purpose, reviewing their current services, looking at governance, and ensuring financial visibility.

The second phase is ‘Preparation and Planning’. Local authorities have a blueprint to follow for service design, ensuring workforce readiness, technology assessment and selection, building a case for investment, and evaluation.

The third phase is ‘Implementation’. Councils are guided on how to run a pilot, create a detailed overview for service delivery, complete a comprehensive risk assessment, and establish a reporting process.

The fourth and final phase is ‘Scale and Optimise’. This involves local authorities setting out a commissioning strategy, rolling out the service, scaling and optimising the service, continuing technology development, setting up a process for financial reporting, and managing qualities and standards.

Melanie Williams, ADASS President, Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Co-chair of the Commission, added: “This work is a great example of how councils, TEC providers and people with lived experience can work together to develop a practical approach to support directors of adult social services to make the argument for introducing proactive and preventative services at a local level.

“After all, in our 2024 Autumn Survey, only 25 percent of directors stated that they had evidence of positive return on investment where benefits are measured as financial savings for assistive technology (including telecare and digital communications), indicating that councils need more support in evidencing the business case for digital and tech.”