The Audit Commission’s briefing paper ‘Improving Value for Money in Adult Social Care’ has stated that although improvements are being made in adult social care, there is still much work to be done in order to deliver savings and make a difference to peoples’ lives.
Given the current pressures on services and finances, councils need to be more innovative in achieving efficiency. The briefing identified nine areas in which councils can make changes, but stressed that not one council made changes to all nine areas.
The report pointed out it is not just the usual issues of procurement and partnership that should be considered, but that councils need to be more innovative in addressing adult social care needs.
For social care services to meet future demands councils need to increase the pace of these improvements. One option suggested in the report was for closer working with the NHS, whether by commissioning or delivering services jointly, an option some local authorities are considering.