ADASS 2024 Autumn Survey – Mounting Fiscal Pressures on Local Authorities with No Reprieve in Sight

Councils want to help support their constituencies through innovation and adhere to this Government’s priority of prevention. When asked “What would be most helpful to improve your information and advice offer?” the top response by councils, at 81.6%, was for “ring-fenced government funding for an enhanced digital offer, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)”. Similarly, 75% of Directors had evidence that Assistive Technology and AI, including telecare and digital communications, prevented, reduced or delayed needs. This is consistent with the 2024 ADASS Spring Survey. Innovation and digital technology can make a real impact in the social care sector but only if there is adequate investment in its implementation. 

This aligns with what the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has heard from representatives ranging from local councillors to parliamentarians to sector leaders across political parties. At last year’s political party conferences, we hosted roundtable discussions on upstream prevention and digital technology. From those meetings we found similar themes around the importance of innovation and technology in the social care sector resulting in our creation of the Caretech Charter, which we launched during this year’s party conference season in partnership with Policy Connect. It is clear that Directors  are in alignment on the importance of technology and innovation in supporting their services and their constituencies.

Councils are already stretching their budgets to the breaking point to meet their legal obligations forcing them to support only those in the most dire situations. Directors reported an estimated £564mn overspend on 2024/2025 adult social care budgets by councils. Simultaneously, councils are also being asked to find significant savings in their budget resulting in £903mn in savings. There is appetite to improve the sector with proof that investment today will lead to prevention and savings tomorrow. However, if we want to see lasting change in the social care sector, with long-term savings, we need immediate support in funding. The ADASS 2024 Autumn Survey showed us that Directors of Adult Social Services are in favour of refocusing the system from sickness to prevention and moving from hospital to community. They simply need the support to see it through both in terms of funding and innovative social care delivery methods.

As experts in this field with deep experience of bringing partners together throughout social care to innovate and improve live, we are ready and eager to work with all levels of government from local to national to deliver a vision which creates a better social care future.