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Publication, Part of

Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, England - 2020-21

National statistics, Official statistics

Publication Date:
21 Oct 2021
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Regions, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs), Ambulance Trusts
Date Range:
01 Apr 2020 to 31 Mar 2021
National Statistics

Previous Chapter

Appendix A: Use of GDP deflator

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Appendix B: Expenditure on adult social care, 2009-10 to 2020-21

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Appendix C: Glossary of Key Terms

Changes to CSV pack and Reference Data Tables

  • Per 100,000 figures at National and London region level have been recalculated to include both estimated activity and population data for one local authority. This affected T12, T24 and T36.
  • ASC-FR CSVs have been recalculated to include the totals for Nursing / Own Provision (UUID 8124901). These values were missing for two local authorities.

24 November 2022 14:35 PM

Page contents

Appendix B: Expenditure on adult social care, 2009-10 to 2020-21

Time-series showing net current public expenditure on adult social care, including expenditure from sources other than social services departments

The main body of this report considers expenditure on adult social care services by the social services departments of Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) in England. Estimates of expenditure therefore do not include public expenditure funded through other routes (e.g. NHS expenditure on adult social care services).

As a consequence of changing government policy, responsibility and funding for providing certain adult social care services often shifts between different public bodies, most commonly between the NHS and local authorities. This means that it is not always meaningful to compare expenditure on adult social care over time if based only on expenditure by social services departments.

Table 5 below provides information about net public expenditure on adult social care services by social services departments (Net current expenditure by local authorities is total expenditure excluding capital charges, less all income. Gross current expenditure, as used throughout this report, includes income from client contributions) and other organisations and gives an estimate for total net current expenditure on adult social care services in England. The sources of funding included are not exhaustive (for example, expenditure by local authorities from budgets other than social services, such as housing, are not included) and only include those for which expenditure can be readily quantified. The sources included are thought to cover those considered necessary to be able to provide a comparable time-series on public expenditure on adult social care. Data have not been adjusted for inflation.

National expenditure includes submitted data from 149 local authorities and estimates for 2.

The figures in Table 5 below show that in 2020-21 the total net expenditure estimate was £20.7 billion, an increase in cash terms of 10.0% from the 2019-20 figure and an increase of 34.9% from the lowest recorded figure in the time series of £15.4 billion spent previously in 2012-13. This table now includes Real Terms data, in addition to the Cash Terms line, and can also be seen in the Public spending on adult social care section of this report.

Table 5: Net current expenditure1 on adult social care services in cash terms: by source of funding

1Net current expenditure is total expenditure excluding capital charges and less all income.

2Including Supporting People expenditure, and inclusive of expenditure on assessment, care management and other overheads. For full details on what is included in the ASC-FR collection see: 2020-21 ASC-FR collection, NHS Digital

3The Valuing People Now initiative aimed to give greater independence to young adults with learning disabilities. Responsibility for providing services to this cohort lay with the NHS before being transferred to local authorities in 2008-09. Until 2011-12 funding continued to be provided through the NHS and so was not included in the net expenditure by social services departments. From 2011-12 funding for this initiative was allocated directly to local authorities and therefore is included in the net expenditure of social services departments. The actual value of the transfer is known for 2010-11 only and has been assumed to be flat in real terms (adjusted using the GDP deflators as shown in Appendix A) to provide a figure for previous years.

Source: Local government finance settlement, 2013-14, Department for Communities and Local Government

4These monies are transferred from the NHS to local authorities for the provision of social care services that also benefit health. As they are considered to be income, the sums are not included in the net expenditure reported by social services departments.

For 2014-15, this funding consists of £900m to support adult social care which has a health benefit and an additional £200m for preparing for implementation of mandatory pooled budgets between local authorities and clinical commissioning groups in financial year 2015 to 2016 (i.e. Service integration the Better Care Fund).

Source: Department of Health:

The National Health Service Commissioning Board (Payments to Local Authorities) Directions 2014

NHS SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL CARE: 2010/11 – 2012/13

Funding transfer from the NHS to social care 2013: Directions

5The Better Care Fund (BCF) was introduced in 2015-16. This figure specifically relates to planned spend from the minimum contribution made by CCGs to the total BCF joint fund pool. This figure constitutes jointly agreed planned expenditure classified as ‘Social Care’ in BCF plans (all commissioner types and all provider types) and; planned expenditure that was not classified as ‘Social Care’ but was commissioned from non-NHS providers (local authority, charity/ voluntary sector & private sector; by all commissioner types).

Source: Annual HWB BCF Plan collection by Better Care Support Team, based at NHS England

6These monies are transferred from the NHS to local authorities for the provision of social care services that also benefit health, specifically over the winter period. As they are considered to be income, the sums are not included in the net expenditure reported by social services departments.

Source: Department of Health:

£150m additional support funding for social care and £20m additional Disabled Facilities Grant funding

NHS SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL CARE: 2010/11 – 2012/13

7ONS deflators found here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-september-2021-quarterly-national-accounts

Last edited: 25 November 2022 12:36 pm

Previous Chapter

Appendix A: Use of GDP deflator

Next Chapter

Appendix C: Glossary of Key Terms