Adult care in Bristol is facing a £3.9M overspend but the city council claims services won't be cut.

An ageing population has seen an increased demand on Bristol City Council's health and social care department in the last year.

More referrals from acute hospitals, GPS, and other healthcare providers have also added to the pressure.

The recession has also played a part, with reduced income from interest and property.

The council says it can meet the overspend from savings elsewhere its budget, and to avoid a repeat of the situation next year plans on spending an extra £4.6M on adult care.

According to a report by the interim strategic director Cathy Morgan, the council's transformation team is also looking at how the department runs to see if it can be made more sustainable.

But that is the same department that came up with the idea of closing customer service points across the city in a bid to "modernise".

The policy proved so unpopular, it was aborted half way through the consultation last month.

A report on their findings is due in January, but the current financial woes are due to be discussed at a meeting of the health and overview scrutiny committee next Tuesday.

The care department has separate divisions to care for the elderly, the disabled and those with mental health issues.

The older people's division is facing the largest overspend, £3.2M, followed by mental health services with £1.5M.

The division for the disabled and people with learning difficulties is predicting a £1.2M overspend.

Other divisions have spent less than planned though, so the potential £5.9M overspend has been reduced to around £3.9M for the financial year 2009/10.

The council says £2.7m of this can be offset by applying savings brought forward from the previous financial year.

This includes additional interest on cash balances worth £1.65m and £1.05 saved because the national pay settlement for local government staff was less than predicted.

The rest will be met by not filling vacancies, and cutting back on office supplies and equipment.

Council Leader Barbara Janke said: "We are absolutely clear that protecting the vulnerable is a key priority.

"This is why in the coming year we plan to put in an extra £4.6 million for health and adult care.

"This will help us accommodate increasing demand for services in this area.

"We are facing pressures on this year's current budget.

"We will manage the increased demand and improve the efficiency of our delivery.

"We are determined to get on top of this and the latest Care Quality Commission report shows that we are performing well in many areas."