Adult services top choice for savings

Adult social care’s position as the top target for
government-ordered efficiency gains has been reinforced by figures
showing more than £110m was saved from the service last
year.

Of nearly £760m eked out of council budgets last year, 15 per
cent came from adult social care.

Projected savings for 2005-6, announced in June, also revealed
adult social care as councils’ biggest area for savings, with
nearly £180m earmarked for efficiencies from a national total
of nearly £1.2bn.

Social housing was the third biggest area for savings in 2004-5
with nearly £90m, while more than £50m came from
children’s services and £15m from homelessness services.

Civil servants have been working with councils since June 2004 on
securing efficiencies in adult social care. The care services
efficiencies delivery programme embarked on its second phase last
month, in which a number of efficiency projects are being piloted.