Igniting Momentum with a senior-championed plan for success: State of the Sector Report 2024

2​1 June 2024

The 2024 State of the Sector report, a collaborative report between TSA and PA Consulting, was compiled using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research including The Survey of Senior Leaders in Adult Social Care. This survey was conducted between December 2023 and January 2024, was shared with 205 councils across the UK. Overall, 42 responses were received from 40 councils.

From the research, it is evident there is an appetite to embrace the opportunities offered by TEC within local government across parts of the UK. But feedback from adult social care leaders highlights that there is still much work to be done to increase the understanding of TEC’s role across the workforce. Senior leadership can drive this change and there’s evidence that local government is making some progress in this area.

Future plans for TEC

Our survey of adult social care leaders shows TEC is becoming embedded in the ways councils support people. Feedback from participants has provided encouraging signs that practitioners are looking for ways to boost independence and better outcomes for the individual through more cost-effective approaches that harness the advantages of TEC.

Overall, 59% of councils either have plans to invest time, effort and resources in TEC in the next 12 months or are making progress in implementing them (figure 6).

“TEC is part of the plans we have to refresh our strengths-based approach and also manage our budgets while maintaining improved outcomes for people”, Survey of senior leaders in adult social care, 2024

Progress is being made

Councils are making progress against these challenges with around a third (35%) reporting having either made good progress or having plans in place to address challenges. It is notable that 50% of councils are still considering how they respond to the challenges they need to overcome to achieve their TEC objectives for the next 12 months, suggesting that many still need to prioritise sustainable transformational change with TEC embedded, with a focus on outcomes, not on technology.

Leadership is the key to success

As this report highlights, TEC offers huge potential in helping the UK to address pressures across the health and social care system in a way that delivers better outcomes for people of all ages. Ensuring TEC is embedded in solutions will require effective leadership as areas move towards greater integration between health and social care. Evidence from integrated care systems (ICSs) in England suggests strong relationships between all partners are vital to enabling buy-in from ICS leadership teams, which in turn ensures digital adoption becomes a “key programme of work within system strategies and plans”.

To read more, download the full report here

If you have any questions, please email admin@tsa-voice.org.uk