Adult Social Care is a hugely important sector, affecting the lives of millions of people in England. Adult social care is the help and support provided to enable people to live their lives as fully, independently and safely as possible, despite illness, disability, frailty or vulnerability. It can take the form of providing long-term accommodation, personal care in someone’s own home, supporting people to manage challenging situations, or reablement services to help people regain independence. Demand for adult social care is expected to rise due to an ageing population with associated complex needs. It is also important to note that, as expenditure is spent on long term care evenly between adults aged 18-64 and those aged 65 and over, focus should not solely be on older clients.
The adult social care sector is not as well supported by data as the health sector, and it is very difficult to understand how the two overlap or integrate, using existing data sources. This has especially been brought to the fore during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It will take significant investment and a long time to address the data gaps fully.
This report aims to support better use and interpretation of existing data sources by drawing out the key trends over time across different aspects of social care that are measured and reported separately. By presenting the data together in one place it will highlight the key messages around adult social care.
This is the fourth version of the report. As with previous versions, it primarily uses the latest available data NHS England and others have collected from local authorities and previously published. Please send any comments and feedback to [email protected]