Appendix 3 ASCH - 10.03.2026

Noted · Received for information; no decision followed.

Demand for adult social care is rising: there was an 8.0% increase in assessments completed and an 8.1% increase in contacts to Health and Social Care Connect between April and December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. p2

The net ASC and Safer Communities budget for 2025/26 is £286.153m, and the forecast outturn is £295.159m, an overspend of £9.006m, largely relating to the Independent Sector care market. p9p10

The Public Health budget is £38.295m, with a projected outturn overspend of £0.059m. p10

The Council confirmed a c.£350,000 development award from Sport England for a 'Place Expansion Programme' in Hastings, to be delivered in partnership with Active Sussex and Hastings Borough Council. p3

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• p2Adult Social Care (ASC) Demand for care and support services In accordance with the Care Act 2014, ASC commission and provide a range of services to support adults and older people across East Sussex. There is an increasing complexity of need amongst people accessing support, with demand for services exceeding pre-pandemic levels and continuing to increase. Some examples include: · There has been a 35.8% increase in Mental Capacity Assessments completed between April to December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. · There has been a 6.3% increase in the number of people receiving bedded care (residential and nursing care), and a 4.4% increase in the number receiving Long Term Support in a community setting at 31 December 2025 compared to the same point in 2024. · There has been an 8.0% increase in the number of assessments completed between April and December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 as well as increased levels of contacts handled at Health and Social Care Connect (HSCC) Access (8.1%). Prevention strategy The ASC prevention strategy is currently focused on 3 priority areas of its prevention framework – building personal resources (the knowledge, skills, motivation, connections and other resources people need to help themselves in order to live the lives they wish to live and are capable of living), maintaining/improving physical wellbeing, and building community capacity to support individual wellbeing and independence. The key initiative to building personal resources is the development of a new ‘prevention portal’ which is an online hub to enable people to identify and take preventative action to maintain their wellbeing and independence.
• p3In Q3, further steering group discussions involving staff from across the Council as well as representatives from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) and citizen representatives have taken place, and the group has designed and agreed a feasibility study for this portal, which is now being progressed. Key initiatives on physical wellbeing include confirmation of a c.£350,000 development award from Sport England for a ‘Place Expansion Programme’ in Hastings, which will be delivered in partnership with Active Sussex (lead partner), Hastings Borough Council, and other organisations. This work will focus in part on building system capacity to improve the physical wellbeing of older people (physical wellbeing is the primary driver of presentations into ASC). Other work includes progressing new initiatives on improving physical wellbeing in care homes and extra care settings. Work on community wellbeing has focused on identifying new volunteering roles that will supports ASC staff and services (directly provided and commissioned) to support peoples’ wellbeing and independence. Resource has been identified to help develop this capacity by recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers alongside other organisations in the VCSE, and these roles will be developed in 2026. Adult Social Care Strategy The ASC strategy action plan for 2025/26 contains 23 actions. Highlights of work progressed in Q3 includes the continued delivery of training to over 200 staff and partners on key topics such as safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act, health and safety, communication skills, and resilience. The Mental Health Prevention Strategy (led by Public Health) was progressed, with a focus on addressing the impacts of trauma, and developing peer support. Targeted campaigns were run aimed at increasing take up and receipt of benefits income alongside continuing public campaigns and other work to reduce loneliness.
• p9The strategy includes priorities for preventing homelessness and ending rough sleeping, working together to reduce health inequalities, improving housing management and standards, delivering the homes we need, tackling climate change, and private rented homes. Housing Retrofit Programme Public Health played a key role in an East Sussex local authority consortium, led by Lewes District Council, which during Q3 secured an additional £880,000 for delivery of the Warm Home Local Grant in 2025/26, due in part to the strong partnership working developed through the housing retrofit strategy. This is on top of the £3.9m originally awarded for 2025-2028. The additional allocation almost doubles the amount for delivery in the first year of the scheme, with this success being facilitated by the pipeline of potential beneficiaries built up by the Council’s Warm Home Check service. Prevent Community Engagement and Support Community Outreach during Q3 included engaging with members of the Eastbourne Cultural Involvement Group and providing specialist advice at the School Safeguarding Conference. Collaboration with Sussex Police involved five joint activities focused on faith, worship, and youth engagement. In Q3, Prevent awareness and training sessions were delivered to over 120 professionals working across schools, Council libraries and district and borough councils to strengthen referral processes for vulnerable groups. 14 school assemblies on Challenging Hate, Cyber Responsibility and Personal Safety were delivered to over 600 children and young people. A small number of educational support sessions were held with young people at risk of developing extremist views. Revenue Budget Summary ASC and Safer Communities The net ASC and Safer Communities budget of £286.153m for 2025/26 includes a 4% inflationary uplift of £10.724m to support the care market across the Independent Sector.
• p10This uplift is in addition to £9.626m to fund growth and demographic pressures and service demands, with the costs of the increases being partially funded by £7.515m raised through the 2% ASC Care Precept. The department has savings targets of £7.420m for 2025/26. The net forecast ASC outturn for 2025/26 is £295.159m, which is an overspend of £9.006m. This largely relates to the Independent Sector, where the overspend is £9.435m. This is due to a 7.4% increase in demand compared to Q4 2024/25 and periods before, which informed the modelling for 2025/26 budget setting in November 2024 and therefore would not have captured the growth in demand. More people are being supported but at a lower average cost compared to Q4 2024/25 (a decrease of 3.4%) because we are working closely with the market, being prudent with packages of support and reviewing more people. There is a net underspend across the rest of the directorate of £0.429m due to delays in recruitment and staff vacancies in Directly Provided Services, offset by increasing costs and demand for equipment services to support people in their homes. Legal costs have also increased due to an increased volume and complexity of cases and an increased need to instruct barristers to provide specialist legal advice and representation. ASC has a savings target of £7.420m this year of which £7.365m will be achieved. The savings for Linden Court will partially be achieved following the decision to continue providing the service at a reduced level. The remaining saving will be achieved through projects currently underway that will increase operational income. Public Health The Public Health budget of £38.295m comprises of the PH grant allocation of £32.679m, additional grants of £3.903m and a planned draw from reserves of £1.713m. The projected outturn position is for a £0.059m overspend. The General Public Health Reserve of £2.171m is projected to reduce to £0.399m by the end of 2025/26.