Thomas told cabinet members on Tuesday the partnership had attracted national attention and supported the NHS 10-Year Plan to shift activity from hospital settings into communities.
Thomas said money from the health service had always been used to deliver adult social care as a way of reducing more costly admissions to hospital.
He told the BBC: “Within the Torbay system, it’s somewhere between £30-£40m – a financial hole per annum within the budget and that’s causing the kind of conversations that are required at the moment.”
In March 2024, Torbay Council agreed to increased costs of £10.1m, external over a five-year period with concerns raised over a possible £36m deficit in adult social care.
On its website, TSDFT, external said it is “proud to be the first NHS Trust in England to integrate hospital and community care with social care”.
It added: “We know first-hand the positive impact that working together in partnership with others has on our local population – giving everyone a brighter future.”