ADASS South West commissioned Alder Advice to undertake a follow up to the 4^th January 2012 state of Adult Social Care (ASC) in the region report. The original 2012 report was undertaken to provide an evidence base to make the case for additional funding for ASC to the then Minister (Paul Burstow) whereas the aim of the updated 2016 report was to undertake research and provide an analysis for senior managers in the Region that:

• Clarifies the main challenges faced by ASC Care across the South West Region now and in the foreseeable future,

• Stimulates different conversations about how these challenges have been addressed to date and how they can best be overcome in the future, and

• Identifies the best new opportunities to do things differently that are better or cost less than current approaches.

The review found many examples of "Best Practice" within the Region and concluded that since 2012 all 16 authorities have been very active in their efforts to counter the growth pressures described above, but growth is proving relentless so there is still the need to continue to improve. The main improvement opportunities that emerged were to:

• Manage demand better so the actual impact of demand and other growth pressures is less than expected.

• Develop the workforce in its widest sense so it is able to cope with changes and increases in demand, has the right skills and is sustainable.

• Use strategic and joint commissioning approaches so capacity in local communities and in the local care and support market matches demand at a cost that is affordable and sustains a stable market.

• Collaborate cost effectively with NHS and other partners to meet the wider health and the social care needs of the population in the most cost effective way and to improve the experience of service users/patients.

• Collaborate cost effectively across the region so that joint working is used where this is the most effective approach.

• Underpin all the above with an ethos/vision that "all activities should seek to enable service users to be as independent as possible at all times".