Overstretched budgets mean that care leaders have been forced to reduce spending on prevention by more than 10% this year, a survey has revealed.

The survey published today by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) found surging care costs resulted in a national overspend of £774m by councils last year, the highest in a decade.

It said local authorities were ill-equipped to enact the aims of the Government's 10 Year Health Plan due to insufficient funding.

According to the survey, prevention spending has dropped to £1.3bn, reaching the lowest amount since 2021-22, and almost three in four (74%) of adult social care directors have minimal confidence their budgets will enable them to ‘meet their legal duties for prevention and wellbeing'.

ADASS president and director of adult social care at Camden LBC, Jess McGregor, said: ‘Without more investment to keep people well and independent at home, we risk undermining the shift towards prevention and neighbourhood health that [health and social care secretary] Wes Streeting, the NHS and this Government are rightly championing.'