Investing in prevention is key to healthier communities
Investing in prevention in adult social care is not just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do.
The LGA’s latest report, ‘Earlier action and support’, developed in partnership with leaders across the social care field, shows that for every £1 we spend on early support, we could save £3.17 – potentially unlocking £11.1 billion in savings to the public purse.
But more importantly, we could change lives.
Prevention is about much more than numbers. It’s about enabling people to live their lives with dignity, independence and purpose.
Whether it’s housing-related support, social prescribing, or promoting physical activity, these interventions give people the tools to maintain their health and avoid crisis points.
Imagine a society where fewer people face homelessness, where older adults can stay active and engaged, and where families aren’t stretched to breaking point because of inadequate support. This vision is achievable, but only if we act now.
Councils like ours stand at the heart of these efforts. Through public health initiatives, social care, housing, and even green spaces, we are uniquely positioned to drive change.
Yet, despite the growing evidence of prevention’s benefits, our resources remain stretched to the limit.
Increasing demand on frontline services often forces councils to prioritise urgent needs, leaving little room to invest in the very measures that would reduce these pressures in the long run. This funding imbalance is both frustrating and short-sighted.
“Prevention is about much more than numbers. It’s about enabling people to live their lives with dignity”
It was deeply disappointing to see no specific funding in the recent Budget for preventative health and social care initiatives.
While the £600 million announced for adult social care is helpful, it’s nowhere near enough to address the challenges we face.
Rising costs, such as increases to the National Living Wage and employer National Insurance contributions, will consume much of this funding, leaving little for the transformative work that prevention requires.
We need a stable, long-term financial framework that enables councils to invest in preventative services consistently.
Piloting innovative early support programmes in local areas is a great start, allowing us to assess what works best in different communities. However, these pilots must be backed by sustained funding, not fleeting grants that vanish before real change can take root.
The upcoming Spending Review is a crucial opportunity for the Government to reverse this trend. We need investment in prevention to be embedded at the core of health and care systems, not treated as a luxury that only materialises when budgets allow. This means funding services that boost life chances, prevent illness, and delay the need for costly acute care.
I am proud of the coalition of support we’ve built around this report, including individuals with lived experience and partners across the sector. Together, we’re sending a clear message: prevention isn’t an optional extra – it’s an essential component of a thriving, sustainable health and care system.
Councils, working closely with our partners and the people we serve, could maximise resources, reduce the need for more expensive interventions, and create healthier, more resilient communities. It’s time to act, to invest in prevention, and to give people the chance to lead the lives they deserve.