The Labour government is launching an independent commission to reform adult social care in England but has been told it must act quicker or risk repeating previous failures in the sector.
Crossbench peer Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock has been appointed to lead the independent commission to review and report on the state of social care in England and how it can be improved.
However the final report is not scheduled to arrive until 2028, although there will be an interim version next year, promoting fears that the issue has once again been kicked into the long grass.
The government is planning a major shake-up of how the sector operates but said this will not be defined until the commission reports back, although it is aiming for a national care service.
England’s social care system and particularly in how it is funded has been a target for overhaul for several decades and in the last few years has been held up as a major reason for high NHS delays and volumes as recovering patients are unable to return home.
The government has also announced plans to train care workers to perform more health and medical-related duties along with increases in pay and recruitment for the sector.
First stage in 2026
Launching the commission, secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting (pictured) said it would take into account previous reviews and commissions so it would not be starting from scratch.
However he was forced to defend the timeline and speed of action, telling BBC’s Today programme that its work will begin in April with the first stage coming next year.
“It will report initially next year. And within three years I hope we will have built the consensus we need to build a national care service fit to meet the challenges for older and disabled people in the 21st century,” Streeting said.
He also argued that part one of the commission was reporting next year and “it will outline what we need to do during this parliament to lay the foundations for a national care service”.
Streeting has also said that cross-party talks on the future of social care will begin next month with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Reform all agreeing to participate.
‘Should be sped up’
The move has generally been welcomed by health sector think tanks, but they warned the current three-year timetable was too slow and risked repeating earlier inaction, delays and broken promises.
The King’s Fund said the commission could offer a real opportunity to break the cycle of failure to reform social care and urged faster action and to prioritise funding.
‘We believe the first phase of the commission should focus on funding and on measures the government could quickly get on with implementing, such as work to improve the use of data and technology in the social care sector, better integration with the NHS and making adult social care a more attractive career,” said King’s Fund CEO Sarah Woolnough.
“Work on many of these issues is already underway but should be sped up.”
Woolnough added that the body wanted the government to accelerate the timing of the second phase of the commission which focuses on creating a fair and affordable social care system.
“The current timetable to report by 2028 is far too long to wait for people who need social care, and their families,” she continued.
“The most fundamental issue to reforming social care is addressing the very tight means test which effectively limits state support to those with the lowest assets and highest needs.
“The issues and the potential solutions to this are clear and do not require years to consider,” she concluded.
‘Delays and broken promises’
Likewise the Health Foundation welcomed the move and agreed the adult social care system in England desperately needed reform after decades of political neglect and underfunding.
However it warned that this issue had been tackled before and speed of action was essential.
“The past three decades have seen a long line of reports and reviews making recommendations for social care reform, including from government commissions like the one announced today. The result has been delays and broken promises,” said Health Foundation director of policy Hugh Alderwick.
“This new commission must move quickly and build on previous policy proposals. Today’s announcement suggests it may be three years before we see recommendations for longer term reform, including to the broken funding system for social care.
“This risks history repeating itself, with reforms not being implemented and people continuing to suffer.”
Alderwick emphasised that many of the problems in social care are well known, as are options for reform.
“There is no shortage of existing visions for the sector,” he continued.
“What’s needed now is political will and long-term investment to finally implement reform and improve the lives of millions of people and their carers.
“The new commission must be an opportunity to deliver reform – not delay it.“
