The government has today announced it will launch an independent commission to ‘rebuild’ adult social care – but it is unlikely that long-term social care reform will happen before 2028.
Nursing and sector leaders have warned that while plans to deliver reform of adult social care are a ‘step in the right direction’, they are too slow for ‘overworked and underpaid’ nursing staff.
Commission to ‘set out a vision’ for adult social care
The commission will be led by crossbench peer Baroness Louise Casey and is the start of Labour’s efforts to reform adult social care in England.
Reporting to the prime minister, the commission will work with staff, families, politicians, as well as the public, private and third sectors, to ‘set out a vision’ for adult social care and ‘rebuild’ the sector to meet current and future needs.
The first phase of the commission, ending in mid-2026, will identify the ‘critical issues’ and suggest recommendations for reform and improvement ‘in the medium-term’.
The second phase, reporting by 2028, will ‘make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care’ and examine how changes should be organised to make social care more ‘fair’ and ‘affordable’ for all.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, warned that quicker change was needed to help ease the growing crisis in adult social care.
‘Social care lacks funding and is gripped by widespread vacancies, with the numbers of registered nurses declining. Nursing staff deliver the vast majority of care in the sector and must be central to any attempts to turn things around,’ she said.
‘Vulnerable people needing care cannot wait until 2028 for change and neither can the over-worked, underpaid nursing staff who care for them.’
Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran, said the commission was ‘welcome’ but joined the calls for timely action to deliver much needed change.
‘We are concerned that any further delay perpetuates the hardship for individuals and their families, as well as the cost to the NHS and local authorities,’ she said.
Next week the committee is holding its first inquiry into the costs from delays to reform of the social care sector.
Deputy chief executive of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), Steph Lawrence, said the institute was also ‘very concerned’ about the timeline for change, and said delays to care reform would have a ‘major impact’ on community nursing teams.
‘The QNI welcomes this review but is very concerned about the timeline – lack of timely access to packages of care has a major impact on community nursing teams and with an ageing population this is only going to increase need.’
The trade union Unison also warned that a national care service and fair pay must be a priority for the new commission, and urged the reform of pay and standards.
Unison head of social care, Gavin Edwards, said: ‘This commission must work to a strict timeframe and focus on how to establish a national care service, not on whether one is needed. Urgent work to deliver a fair pay agreement must also be delivered without delay.
‘Both major reforms are vital to retain and recruit skilled staff, and to support those they look after.’
Opposition parties have also been invited to take part in the commission, with the government aiming to build a ‘cross-party and national consensus on the responsibilities the state and individuals have for social care’, as well as on how to meet the rising demands caused by an ageing population, and how best to structure a National Care Service.
Labour’s plans for a ‘National Care Service’ were a core 2024 manifesto commitment, with the government aiming to shift towards ‘locally delivered’ and ‘home first’ care services.
Government pledges other ‘immediate actions’
Alongside news of the commission, the government has also pledged ‘immediate action’ to support the sector through technology and an ‘improved career pathways for care workers’.
It said changes would see the expansion of the ‘national career structure’ for social care workers, with plans for ‘recognised career progression and development pathways’ within the sector.
The government hopes such changes will encourage more people to stay in the care workforce for longer.
In addition, a shared digital platform that will allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff will be developed, the government added.
More widely, the government said it was committing up to £3.7bn of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025-26, including an £880m increase in the Social Care Grant.
In total, the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement – the annual allocation of central government funding to local authorities – makes £69bn available for local government in 2025-26.
This is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024/25, the government said.
A £86m disabled facilities grant to allow elderly and disabled people to make home improvements has also been announced today.
Other plans include the ‘crack down’ on abuse of the social care visa and sanctions for employers exploring the care work visa route, alongside support for workers who have been displaced following action taken against their employers.
Separately, in November, a survey from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care Services (ADASS) found that 81% of councils expected an overspend to their social care budgets.
And in October the government pledged a £600m grant for social care which was described as falling ‘drastically short’ on addressing nursing needs.
Nursing in Practice has asked the government to confirm when the commission will begin.
