What is Adult Social Care? – All You Need to Know 

Adult social care is a reference to the supportive services available in the UK for adults who have mental or physical health problems, or physical or learning disabilities. This includes older adults. The purpose of adult social care is to help them live as independently as they can within their communities and have access to the optimal quality of life possible within their limitations. 

Adult social care can include practical help with personal tasks, from dressing, to washing, medication, chores and aiding with community support as well as more. 

What Is Adult Social Care? 

Social care is very different to the healthcare received from the NHS and your doctors. Although it is entirely possible that social care can include medical support, social care is more practice, and hands-on to enable individuals to live as independently as they possibly can. 

Social care is provided in the residencies of individuals, this could be in a residential home, in the home of the individual, or it can also occur actively in the community. 

Having quality social care practices in place enables local authorities to meet their statutory obligations under the 2014 Care Act, as well as provide better quality of life to those in their communities. 

Social care support can include the following services:  

• Nursing homes. 

• Occupational therapy, with a focus on maintaining and improving independence. 

• Personal care. 

• Supported accommodation. 

• Support in managing daily tasks, such as errands, housework and finance. 

• Support in participating in the community or social activities. 

Public funded social care is the responsibility of local authorities, and this comes with other responsibilities when providing social care such as:  

• Arranging short-term re-enablement or supports. 

• Assessment of needs. 

• Commissioning of a range of care services. I.e. day services, supported accommodation. 

• Providing advice and information. 

• The safeguarding of vulnerable people. 

Who Provides Adult Social Care? 

Adult social care is an aspect of a complex part of the health and social care system in the UK that also includes the NHS, ICS (The Integrated Care System) and local authorities. For the most part local authorities will fund the support received with social care, however, this depends significantly on the individual and whether the care is free to you is entirely dependent on your personal financial situation.  

Local authorities are the responsible party for assessing the needs of the individuals, and then, should the individuals be eligible, they are then responsible for funding their care also. That being said a majority of the services are provided by independent home and residential care providers.  

Local authorities will, in most cases, organise and purchase the social care for the individuals. In other cases, some with disabilities will directly employ people to aid with their support and care. 

How Is Adult Social Care Commissioned? 

Social care is commissioned via local authorities, and commissioning cycles can vary from local authority to local authority. The commissioning cycle will depend on the needs of the individual and specific situations.  

Traditionally this can be conducted in four simple steps.  

1. The assessment of needs. 
2. Planning the social care package. 
3. Contracting practitioners. 
4. Monitoring progress. 

However, it is more complex that this as SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) have stated that there are several key things that local authorities should be considering throughout the commissioning cycle.  

This includes the development of clear understanding of complex neds within their community, as well as account considering the emotional, and social needs as well as practical and medical needs. There should also be effort to continually work at identifying where performance may be poorer. Include those being cared for at every part of the process and improving knowledge of the services. SCIE, like many are also vocalising the importance of outcomes-led approached, with services undergoing frequent assessments, high monitoring standards, and evidence on how individual independence will be encouraged. 

Funding Adult Social Care 

The funding for adult social care in the UK will depend on the specific situation of the individual. Individuals may be eligible for local authorities to pay towards the cost of care if they have below a certain amount in savings known as the UCL (Upper Capital Limit). The current UCL is £23.250.  

Therefore, should an individual have lower than this amount in savings, they may be eligible. However, it is also worth noting that how much the LA will pay will also depend on how much the individual is able to pay and what care is needed. 

The local authority council will first need to conduct an assessment to determine how much care is needed. Once this is completed, if it is determined that care is required, a follow up assessment will be conducted to determine how much the individual will pay towards the cost of care 

Why It Matters 

Adult social care services in the Uk cover a wide variety of areas, from social work to personal care, practical support and the support for their careers. Local authorities in England spent £23.7 billion on social care for adults in 2022-2023 and supported over 1 million individuals with care needs.  

With an aging population and more complex conditions becoming more frequent, the demand for adult social care is growing, but the resources to support the sector are not. This is why preventative care and understanding what social care provides is so crucial. Local authorities are under increasing financial pressure to provide care, while providers feel the strain of responding to increasing demand while managing a decreasing workforce. The sector suffers long waiting lists and workforce shortages as well as financial strain. Taking preventive measures to minimise the requirement for extensive care doesn’t only minimise sector-wide strain, but it also ensures better quality of life for the long term.  

This includes approaching care on an outcomes-based, needs-led basis to optimise care in a process that encourages independence.  

CareCubed is a cost of care tool that helps define needs-based outcomes and requirements to optimise the care package. This provides a benchmark for the care package as well as providing comprehension of what the needs are of that individual and what services will optimise the package for positive outcomes. Please get in touch to learn more about CareCubed and book a demo of CareCubed to find out how it can boost efficiency for you.