Prevention at the front door: Insights from leading councils on transforming adult social care

Almost 70 of England’s leading local authorities joined Imosphere’s recent webinar to explore how a prevention-first approach is reshaping adult social care. With financial pressures intensifying - 81% of councils are set to overspend their adult social care budgets this year - finding sustainable solutions has never been more urgent.

The session featured insights from Suffolk, Sunderland, and Oxfordshire Councils, all of whom have been at the forefront of prevention-focused initiatives. Their experiences demonstrated that early intervention isn’t just an aspiration, it’s an achievable strategy delivering real savings and better citizen outcomes today.

Key takeaways from the webinar

The national landscape: A call for change

The webinar highlighted the stark realities facing adult social care. Rising demand for services, coupled with increasing complexity of needs, is placing immense pressure on already stretched resources. Financial projections paint a concerning picture, with many councils facing significant overspends. While the recent budget offered some relief with increased Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) provision, questions remain about effectively targeting this support.

Prevention is widely recognised as the key to addressing these challenges.

Early intervention can reduce demand for costly, reactive services, improve citizen well-being, and optimise resource allocation. However, demonstrating the value for money of preventative measures has historically been difficult. While recent sector publications, like the one highlighting a £3.17 return for every £1 invested in prevention, are a step in the right direction, a deeper understanding of “what works” and effective methods for demonstrating value are still needed. This is where collaboration and shared learning become crucial.

Local authority innovations: Leading the way

The webinar showcased practical examples of how local authorities are implementing prevention strategies, highlighting the importance of collaboration and data-driven approaches.

Suffolk County Council: A journey of co-production and digital enhancement

Jamie Stewart from Suffolk County Council shared their experience with implementing a self-assessment tool, developed in partnership with Imosphere. Their journey emphasised the importance of co-production, engaging both practitioners, citizens and carers in the design process. This collaborative approach ensured the tool was user-friendly and met the specific needs of the community.

Suffolk’s self-assessment aims to manage demand by providing citizens with easy access to information and advice, empowering them to take control of their situations. Since its launch, the tool has seen significant uptake, with hundreds of carer and adult self-assessments completed. While still early in their evaluation, Suffolk is already seeing positive signs, with practitioners reporting that the information gathered through self-assessment helps them work more efficiently. They are currently working on the next phase, including leveraging the tool for people already accessing services and integrating it with their information and advice program. They are also exploring AI-driven solutions like chatbots and virtual assistants to further enhance their front door services and manage internal demand through voice-to-text technology.

Oxfordshire County Council: OT-led clinics and community focus

Oxfordshire’s approach to prevention focuses on directing citizens from self-assessment to community-based, OT-led clinics. This innovative model allows individuals with potentially eligible needs to access preventative support quickly and efficiently. By streamlining the process and reducing the need for multiple appointments, Oxfordshire is seeing significant time savings. They are also exploring the integration of self-assessment with their assistive technology team, further emphasising a prevention-first culture. Oxfordshire’s focus on “kitchen table language” in their self-assessment underscores the importance of clear and accessible communication in engaging citizens.

Sunderland City Council: A data-driven approach to measuring impact

Sunderland’s journey highlights the importance of data-driven insights in demonstrating the effectiveness of preventative interventions. Imosphere – working closely with Sunderland – have co-designed the BISA (Building Independence and Strengths Assessment), a tool designed to measure individual progress towards outcomes and, crucially, to evidence the success of the service. Given the diverse needs of individuals, this was a complex challenge, but Imosphere’s BISA is an innovative and effective system for capturing and measuring progress. The BISA is also closely linked to the Care Act eligibility framework, ensuring consistency and clarity. Sunderland is currently gathering data from the tool’s use and plans to report on its impact in 2025.

The time to act is now

The webinar made it clear that prevention is not just a buzzword, but a fundamental shift in how adult social care services should be delivered. The insights and innovations leveraged by Suffolk, Oxfordshire, and Sunderland demonstrate that innovative tools and collaborative approaches can drive meaningful change. Local authorities must prioritise prevention strategies, invest in data-driven solutions, and foster a culture of collaboration to effectively address the challenges facing the sector. The time to act is now. By embracing prevention, local authorities can not only improve the lives of their citizens but also ensure the long-term sustainability of adult social care services.

The business case for prevention: Why acting now is essential

The financial challenges facing local authorities are well-documented. According to national reports, the cost of delivering adult social care continues to rise, yet investment in early intervention remains significantly underutilised.

Imosphere’s analysis shows that our local authority partners are leading the way in demonstrating that:

• Preventative strategies can reduce new support requests by up to 25%, saving thousands of hours in practitioner time.

• Local authorities can each achieve up to £43.3 million in savings over five years by shifting to a proactive care model.

• Strengths-based, data-driven approaches lead to better citizen outcomes, enabling more people to remain independent and reducing reliance on high-cost care solutions.

Despite the growing evidence, many local authorities have yet to fully implement prevention-focused models, often citing challenges such as budget constraints, difficulty evidencing impact, and competing service pressures. Our webinar made it clear that these barriers can be overcome with the right tools, data, and approach.

Explore the power of prevention in adult social care

Imosphere provides expert guidance, proven strategies, and innovative solutions to help local authorities embed prevention-first approaches. Book an informal consultation to discover how the tools and strategies used by the councils in this article can support your team and drive better outcomes.