Councils overspent their adult social care budgets by £715m in 2025/26, according to the latest annual Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) survey.

The report shows councils are supporting an increasing number of adults who have complex care needs. Three-quarters of directors report an increase in the number people presenting to adult social care who were or would have previously been eligible for continuing healthcare (CHC). Over half (58%) of ICBs reduced their CHC spending.

Phil Holmes, president of ADASS, said: ‘The ongoing reduction in the number of people receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare flies in the face of our ageing population.

‘Increasingly frequent funding disputes are leaving people and families facing uncertainty about whether they will get the care they need, or whether their existing care will continue to be possible. This year’s ADASS survey provides even more evidence that NHS Continuing Healthcare urgently needs national reform.’

Reaction

An LGA spokesperson said: ‘We are alarmed that 58% of ICBs are reducing their spending on Continuing Health Care, potentially excluding people from the support they should receive and shifting costs onto social care budgets, exacerbating the risk of council overspend.’

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King's Fund, said: ‘This should be a spur for national action and a long-term plan for social care that gives councils the funding and workforce they need, alongside a more consistent system for assessing people’s needs, so that access to care depends less on where someone lives and more on what support they require. If Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister, he will inherit a packed in-tray. Tackling the problems endemic in adult social care, and tackling them quickly, must be near the top of that list.'

Lee Peart is editor of Hemming Group’s Healthcare Management magazine.