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Appendix 3 ASCH - 29.09.2026

Committee report · Full Council · Tue 13 Oct 2026 · East Sussex County Council · agenda item 5 · the whole meeting

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The report states there was an 11.5% increase in the number of assessments completed in Q1 compared to the same period in 2025/26, equating to 273 more assessments. p2

It reports that the net forecast Adult Social Care outturn for 2026/27 is £344.157m, which is an overspend of £4.346m, largely relating to the Independent Sector, where the forecast overspend is £4.299m. p19

It reports that the number of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards referrals awaiting allocation to a Best Interest Assessor was 761 at the end of June 2026, above the target of 650 or less. p11

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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 an 11.5% increase in the number of assessments completed in Q1 compared to the same period in 2025/26, this equates to 273 more assessments · there has been a 0.8% increase in the number of people receiving bedded care (residential and nursing care) (22 people), and a 4.4 % increase in the number receiving Long Term Support in a community setting (235 people) at 30 June 2026 compared to the same point in 2025 · there has been a 7.5% increase in the number of safeguarding episodes (76 episodes) completed in Q1 compared to the same period in 2025, including an 8.9% increase in Section 42 enquiries completed (55 enquiries). Health and Social Care integration
  • p11· the median time in days from proposed start date to start date for reviews started in period - Carer Care Plans was 1 day against a target of 6 days or less Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) and safeguarding concerns reviewed within 3 days The snapshot of the number of DOLS (residential and nursing) referrals awaiting allocation to a Best Interest Assessor (BIA) at the end of June 2026 was 761, above the target set of 650 or less (ref i) . The Supreme Court published a judgement on 2 June 2026 which changed the definition of deprivation of liberty. This has impacted on the way DOLS assessments are completed, and on 2 June allocations to independent Best Interest Assessors (BIAs), who have historically completed the largest number of assessments, were paused while we await new guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The number of referrals we have received has dropped very slightly since the judgement. However, we are unsure at this stage of the number of Best Interest/DOLS referrals we will receive through the rest of this year under the new multifactorial assessment process. We continue to perform well for timeliness of responses to safeguarding contacts. 99.4% of contacts received an initial review within 3 days of receipt of the contact in the rolling 12 months to the end of June 2026, well above the target of 90.0%. Health and Social Care Connect (HSCC) transformation programme and referrals There was a 4.2% increase in contacts presented to HSCC Access in Q1 compared to the same period in 2025/26. However, there was a 3.6% decrease in the number handled . Capacity was significantly impacted bya high number of vacancies (10) during the quarter and a subsequent associated impact when new staff were inducted into the team. There was also a high level of staff absence due to sickness. It is expected that performance will improve in Q2.
  • p19Revenue Budget Summary Overview The net ASC and Safer Communities budget of £339.811m for 2026/27 (ref xiii) includes a 4% inflationary uplift of £13.068m to support the care market across the Independent Sector. This uplift is in addition to £18.134m to fund growth and demographic pressures and service demands, with the costs of the increases being partially funded by £7.991m raised through the 2% ASC Care Precept. The department has savings targets of £3.979m for 2026/27 built into the budget (ref x) . Adult Social Care The net forecast ASC outturn for 2026/27 is £344.157m, which is an overspend of £4.346m. This largely relates to the Independent Sector, where the forecast overspend is £4.299m (ref xi) . The forecast modelling is an established process but it is a best estimate with the information available at Q1 and demand fluctuates through the year. The overspend is largely due to an increase in demand for services which relate to the ageing population in the county, compared to levels of demand at Q3 2025/26 and periods before which informed the modelling for 2026/27. The growth in demand from the 5.3% average increase seen over the prior two years to the 6.5% increase seen by the end of 2025/26 was not anticipated. This includes an increase relating to the growth in the size of the over 85 age group, where care requirements according to the Care Act become increasingly likely. Growth in income from client contributions and other sources is mitigating the gross spend increase, with the former growing by 19% since April 2025 compared to a 13% increase in gross spend. Whilst increase in the older population is driving the recent increases in costs, some of the pressure experienced is also related to Children’s Services transfers to Adult Social Care as young people become adults with the example of one additional person who has transitioned this quarter with a commitment for support of £1.1m per annum.

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