Getty ImagesLong-term funding proposals for adult social care in England are unlikely to be delivered before 2028, the government has confirmed.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting is pledging to “finally crack down on social care reform” with an independent commission set to begin work in April.
But the commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, will not publish its final report until 2028.
Councils and care providers say waiting too long to reform vital services that are already on their knees.
The government also announced urgent plans to provide more health checks to care workers, and increased funding for services to help older and disabled people stay in their homes.
Social care refers to helping elderly or disabled people with daily tasks such as washing, dressing, medication and eating.
Only people with the most complex health needs get social care provided for free by the NHS, so most care is paid for by councils.
In England, only those with high needs and savings or assets of less than £23,250 are eligible for this help, leaving a growing number of people to fund themselves.
Some face paying millions of pounds for their care and may be forced to sell their home as a result.
Streeting said the government’s ultimate goal was “a new National Care Service, capable of meeting the needs of older and disabled people in the 21st century”.
He said he had invited opposition parties to take part in the commission “to ensure that the National Care Service survives under different colored governments, as our NHS has for the last 76 years”. .
Baroness Casey – who has led a number of high-profile reviews including into homelessness, the Rotherham child exploitation scandal and the Metropolitan Police – said she was “delighted to be leading this important work”.
In government, she is seen as straight-talking, well-connected, and hard-working.
Yet, developing a plan for a National Care Service that meets the needs of an aging population and is affordable is perhaps its biggest challenge yet.
There is agreement that the care system has been in crisis for years, struggling with rising demand, underfunding and staff shortages.
The problem is getting political agreement on how to fund the pending reforms.
In 2010, Labour’s plans to fund social care were labeled a “death tax” in that year’s election, and Conservative plans were labeled a “dementia tax” in the 2017 election.
There have also been numerous commissions, reviews and inquiries over the past 25 years that have failed to bring about change.
The 2011 Dillant Commission plan to cap individual care costs came closest, making it into legislation, but was not implemented.
It was It was finally scrapped by the New Labor government last summer. Because he said the last Conservative administration had not allocated money for reforms.
However, providing adequate support to people in their own homes, care homes and supported housing remains a key issue.
Care systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are slightly more generous, but all face pressure from rising demand and squeezed finances.
“Our aging society, with care costs set to double over the next 20 years, calls for long-term action,” Streeting said.
The government promised a national care service in its manifesto, although little detail was provided.
The independent commission will work with care service users, their families, staff, politicians and the public to recommend how the care service can be improved to meet current and future needs.
“Millions of older people, people with disabilities, their families and adult carers rely on an effective social care system to live their lives with independence and dignity,” said Baroness Casey. said
“An independent commission is an opportunity to start a national conversation, find solutions and build consensus on a long-term plan to fix the system.”
The commission will report to the prime minister and its work will be divided into two phases.
The first phase will identify key issues and recommend improvements in the medium term. It will report by mid-2026.
The second phase will look at how care services are managed and funded for the future. The report is not due until 2028 – a year before the next election.
The independent health think tank King’s Fund urged the government to “speed up the clock”.
Its chief executive, Sarah Woolnough, said: “The current timetable for reporting to 2028 is too long for people needing social care. and their families,”.
Councils, which are under huge financial pressure, pay for most people’s care services.
Melanie Williams, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, agreed that “the timescales are too long”.
She believes there is already a lot of evidence and options on how to reform adult social care and fears that “until the commission comes out, keep the water flowing for people’s health and well-being.” will be harmful”.
According to the King’s Fund, around 835,000 people received publicly funded care in 2022. The charity Age UK estimates that there are around two million people in England whose care needs are unmet – and according to workforce organization Skills for Care, while 1.59 million people work in adult social care in England. , currently there are 131,000 vacancies.
Helen Walker, head of Cares UK, which represents the millions of unpaid carers who care for family members, said families were “under immense pressure and providing more care than ever before”.
Older or disabled people are more likely to end up in hospital when they are unable to get the support they need in the community, or to be stuck in a ward when they are ready to leave.
Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “We hope this important action plan and commitment to building a National Care Service will help people get better support and reduce pressure on hospital wards.”
The government also confirmed that a further £86m will be spent before the end of the financial year in April to help thousands more elderly and disabled people stay at home.
This amount is on top of a similar amount announced in the next fiscal year’s budget.
In total, this should allow 7,800 disabled and elderly people to make significant improvements to their homes, increasing their independence and reducing hospital admissions, the government says.
Other changes include:
- Better career paths for care workers
- Better use of technology and new national standards help older people stay at home longer.
- Highly skilled care workers to provide basic checks such as blood pressure monitoring
- A new digital platform to share clinical information between NHS and care staff.