Nine out of 10 directors of adult social services have no confidence, or are only partially confident, that their budgets will be sufficient to fully meet their statutory duties in 2024/25, according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services’ (ADASS’) spring survey.
The survey also found that the number of people in England needing more complex council-funded care, with multiple visits from two or more care workers – known as ‘double-handed care’ – rose by 7.4 per cent in the year to March, to 48,955.
The pressure on councils to provide more hours of complex care and support means people needing low-level and early support at home “are at risk of missing out or their needs escalating”, ADASS warned.
Cllr David Fothergill, the LGA’s Social Care Spokesperson, said: “The adult social care sector remains in a precarious position and, despite councils’ best efforts, more than 400,000 people still face a wait to be assessed, for their care package to start, or for a review of their care plan.
“The LGA is calling for immediate investment in adult social care to tackle the urgent issues affecting services and pave the way for a longer-term and sustainable settlement. This needs to be delivered alongside a long-term care workforce plan and a shift to a more preventative model of health and wellbeing.”