Record numbers receiving adult social care providing challenge for local authorities
Almost a million people in the UK are receiving long-term adult social care, according to a health and care charity report
A new report by Health and Care think tank, King's Fund, says more people than ever are receiving long-term adult social care, and it's turning up the pressure on local authorities.
While increased spending will have improved quality of life for thousands more people, it has “come at great cost to local authority budgets and ultimately is not sustainable”, the King’s Fund said.
Its annual round-up report on the adult social care sector stated that in the year to March 2025 some 890,000 people received long-term care.
The charity fears that as costs mount for local authorities, they don't have the tools to meet growing demand, suggesting councils are in a "precarious position"
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Wiltshire's Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Gavin Grant, said he wouldn't phrase our position as precarious, but admitted it is a challenging situation.
"We've increased the spend for the current financial year that we've just started by some £27 million on adults. The absolute lion's share of that is adult social care," he said.
Council Tax was increased for this year and included a 2% levy for adult social care, with a total of £224 million budgeted for the coming year.
Cllr Grant said there are 1,748 people in residential care in the county, while contractors deliver over 20,000 hours of at home support for people.
"It's a very big part of what the council spends," he said. "It's about 45p in the pound."
Balancing the books and meeting needs
"We've got to make sure that we get the numbers right," Cllr Grant told us.
There's significant pressure to ensure the right people are getting the right care, and with council budgets tight, that it comes at the right price.
Cllr Grant added that the care must meet the needs of the people who need it.
He told us there are two keys to ensuring that he can keep a balanced budget while ensuring the people being supported by the council have what they need.
The first is intervening early.
"We're very proud of the fact that Wiltshire has a great track record of getting people to come forward early to have conversations about what their needs might be," he said. "They may have assumptions about what they need and what that's going to take, but sometimes there are much more efficient and effective ways of meeting those needs at a more cost effective price."
The second key is keeping people in their home environments, with it well known to be much better for people's wellbeing and they're happier for it.
It allows them to be in a familiar environment, surrounded by friends and family, as well as being a more cost-effective method for the council.
"There's a balance to be struck here, and I think, at the moment, we're getting that balance right," Cllr Grant said.
Ensuring spend is effective long-term
People are encouraged to keep coming forward about their social care needs, with the council reviewing its spending and questioning if it's meeting care needs effectively each fortnight.
Cllr Grant said it helps to ensure that needs that are becoming more complex can be handled early and make sure people get what they need at the right time.
But longer-term, the picture is less clear, with the Casey Commission currently reviewing the adult social care sector.
Long-term solutions to the challenges faced aren't expected until 2028, which means constant reviewing is vital.
Cllr Grant said keeping on top of budgets and being aware of both local and international challenges is one of his top priorities, referencing the conflict in the Middle East, which has seen the Strait of Hormuz shut and oil prices soar.
"We've seen petrol prices rise, but particularly diesel prices rise," he said, adding that this makes it more expensive to run home care services, with fuel costs growing.
He also highlighted some other changes that are having an impact: "We've seen the increase in national minimum wage. We saw last year the increase in national insurance charges for our providers. There's all sorts of pressures going on there, as well as what's happening for the individuals concerned."
He concluded that the review structure means that he can ensure taxpayers money is being spent in the right areas and allowing as many people as possible in Wiltshire to thrive.