More than a third of adult social care directors say they have no confidence that budgets are sufficient to meet statutory duties this year

Annual ADASS budget survey also finds that the actual costs of COVID-19 will far outstrip emergency funding made available to date

More than a third of adult social care directors have said they have no confidence that their budgets are sufficient to meet councils' statutory duties this year, according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) annual budget survey.

In ADASS Budget Survey 2020, published this week, the Association reports that, of the 146 directors of social care that responded this year, just 4 per cent are fully confident that their budget is sufficient to meet statutory duties in 2020/2021 (compared to 35 per cent the previous year), 56 per cent are partially confident (similar to the 59 per cent in 2019/2020) while 35 per cent have no confidence (up from 6 per cent in the previous year).

In addition, ADASS reviews the financial impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on budgets reported by survey respondents and in Local Government Association analysis, highlighting that -

• the adult care sector is likely to face more than £6.6bn in extra costs such as PPE, staffing and deep cleans due to coronavirus by the end of September 2020;
• local authorities have committed additional funding for care providers of around £575m so far; however, due to the timing of the survey (1 to 22 May 2020), this is likely to be an underestimate;
• adult social care has had access to approximately half of the £3.2bn of Emergency Funding to support the whole of local government’s response to the pandemic, along with a £600m Infection Control Fund (£2.2bn in total);
• loss of income - such as reduced contributions from users towards care costs - and the inability to deliver on previous savings plans will mean that councils will have a further deficit in social care budgets of £800m in 2020/21; and
• pre-pandemic budget pressures remain, including demographic changes and costs of implementing increases in the National Minimum and Living Wage.

Commenting on the survey, ADASS president James Bullion said -

‘We are calling on government to ensure that over the next two years adult social care has the funding, not only to reimburse local authorities for the costs of COVID-19, but also to enable the sector as a whole to enhance services in the build-up to reform proposals being implemented. This must go alongside a new employment deal with our care staff, who’s compassion, and skill has been brought to the fore during the pandemic. We must also reform care markets so that they better suit the aspirations and needs of those of us who may need them in the future.’

For more information, see ADASS Budget Survey 2020: Impact of Covid-19 on budgets from adass.org.uk