Care England Responds as ADASS Autumn Survey Reveals Deepening Pressures Across Adult Social Care

Care England, the largest and most diverse representative body for independent adult social care providers in England, has today responded to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) 2025 Autumn Survey, which paints one of the starkest pictures of adult social care finances since the pandemic.

The survey reveals that councils are projecting a £623 million overspend on adult social care budgets in 2025 to 2026, equivalent to three per cent of adult social care expenditure and the highest overspend reported at this point in the year since Covid. It also shows that councils are already modelling £869 million of savings for 2026 to 2027 simply to meet basic statutory duties, placing additional strain on care providers and workforce capacity.

ADASS highlights that this financial pressure is being driven by rising complexity and escalating demand, including a thirty per cent increase in the number of 18 to 24-year-olds requiring high-cost care packages above £7,000 per week, and continued instability in local care markets. Since April, 4,254 people have been affected by provider closures, contract handbacks or services ceasing to trade.

The report also confirms that a third of councils say they have very little or no influence in their Integrated Care Systems, and half do not have an agreement with their local health partners on delegated healthcare activities, leaving fundamental questions unanswered on funding, training and competency.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said:

“This survey lays bare a truth we can no longer ignore. Adult social care is being asked to do the impossible. Councils are overspending by hundreds of millions just to keep people safe, yet next year they are expected to cut even more. You cannot protect people’s lives on a budget that is already running on empty. At the centre of these pressures are people whose safety, dignity and independence depend on a system that is being stretched further every year. We are watching a structural funding gap grow wider by the year, while demand and complexity continue to rise. Government talks about delivering more care in the community, but that ambition will collapse unless adult social care is finally treated as the backbone of the health and care system, not an afterthought. The Autumn Budget must be the moment this changes.”

Care England is calling on the Government to act urgently through the Autumn Budget and Spending Review by:

• Providing immediate stabilisation funding so councils can meet the projected £623 million overspend without suppressing provider fees or reducing access to essential services.
• Matching funding to demand, particularly for working-age adults with complex needs whose care requirements are rising fastest.
• Fully funding the costs of national policy changes, including the Fair Pay Agreement, Employment Rights Bill and Employer National Insurance Contribution increases.
• Creating a funded, national framework for delegated healthcare activities which includes training, competency, accountability and payment for increased responsibility.
• Rebalancing national investment towards community care and prevention, enabling councils to shift from crisis management to early support and market stability.