Care England Responds: ADASS Autumn Survey Exposes Intensifying Crisis and Urgent Need for Government Action

Care England, the leading voice of adult social care providers in England, responds to the ADASS Autumn Survey 2024, which lays bare the escalating financial strain on local authorities as they strive to fulfil their statutory obligations for care and support.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, commented:

“This report is a blunt warning that adult social care is buckling under relentless financial pressures. Providers and local authorities are wrestling with soaring demand and unsustainable costs, trying to deliver essential services within a funding framework that simply does not meet the needs of our communities. While the Government may have pledged support, the lack of tangible action leaves a gaping billion pound hole in the sector’s funding. Recent budgetary decisions add to this burden, creating an environment where both councils and providers are set up to fail and unable to invest in the preventive and community-based services essential to reducing hospital admissions, supporting timely discharges, and ultimately allowing people to live well. Without immediate, targeted support, next year will be one of the hardest years faced. This is no longer just a policy issue; it’s a pressing societal and economic concern worsened by the Treasury who must act now to prevent sector wide collapse.”

With 81% of councils expected to overspend their adult social care budgets this year – a significant rise from 72% in 2023/24 – the findings reveal a sector at breaking point, with anxieties among care providers and councils reaching unprecedented levels.

The ADASS survey highlights 35% of councils face pressure to make immediate, in-year savings, up from 19% in 2022. Planned savings for 2025/26 are projected to soar by 55%, amounting to £1.4 billion – an alarming increase from the record £903 million in planned cuts for 2024/25. Without urgent action, councils will be unable to meet their statutory care duties.

89% of directors pinpointed financial pressures as the primary barrier to progress as a top concern. Additionally, 83% cited competing service demands as obstacles to implementing essential preventative measures.

The impact is clear; without sustained funding, achieving the Government’s vision of a shift from hospital-based to community-focused care and prevention will remain an aspiration only.

Professor Martin Green OBE continued:

“The findings reveal yet again a sector at breaking point, providers, councils, and ultimately people drawing on care are failed by a system under relentless strain. Every day, adult social care services are stretched thinner, forced to compromise on critical areas like preventive measures and workforce investment to keep up with growing demand. Social care is not just about meeting immediate needs; it’s essential to broader economic stability and workforce productivity. The current trajectory leaves providers and councils in crisis management mode rather than building sustainable, preventative solutions foundational to easing pressures on the NHS, helping people remain in work, and enabling communities to thrive. We need a concrete financial plan from Government that stabilises the sector and gives the certainty to plan, invest and implement a stronger future.”

Care England stands with ADASS in calling for immediate funding necessary to sustain a care system, vital to both individuals and the economy; to deliver on the Government’s commitment to transform our health and social care system.