Social care commission to announce National Care Service plans next year

Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the work in January saying he hoped to “build a national consensus” around adult social care.

The commission is split into two phases, with the first identifying what the Government called the “critical issues” facing the sector and setting out recommendations for reform and improvement “in the medium term” is due to report in mid-2026.

The second phase, which will make long-term recommendations, will report to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, although this may not happen until 2028.

Baroness Casey is also carrying out an audit of grooming gangs for the Home Office.

The commission’s timeline has already prompted concerns within a sector which has long been stretched, with various organisations describing the possible three-year wait for long-term recommendations as “disappointing”.

The chair of North Yorkshire’s Independent Care Group Mike Padgham said this meant “the current government looked intent on kicking the issue down the road again”.

However, the terms of reference have now revealed that in the first phase “the commission is to set out the plan for how to implement a National Care Service, a government manifesto commitment”.

These proposals, which will be laid out next year, may assuage some of the concerns from the sector.

“The commission should produce tangible, pragmatic recommendations that can be implemented in a phased way over a decade,” the terms of reference said of the National Care Service.

“It will aim to make adult social care more productive, preventative and to give people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system.”

It added: “The Commission’s recommendations must remain affordable, operating within the fiscal constraints of Spending Review settlements for the remainder of this parliament.”

Baroness Casey formally started the commission on Tuesday, meeting with carers, campaigners and disabled people.

She said: “It was important that the first act of this commission should be about hearing from those with real, lived experience of the current social care system.

“I want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to this important work, shaping a social care system that supports people to lead fulfilling, dignified and enriched lives.”

Unpaid carers who are members of the Carers UK charity were among those to attend Tuesday’s meeting and said they felt “encouraged that Baroness Louise Casey has been listening to carers first-hand”.

Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at the charity, said: “Good affordable social care is needed to release the pressure on many carers whose health is being impacted because they cannot access vital breaks and support.

“Social care is also critical for unpaid carers to juggle paid work and care. We’re pleased that time has been taken to understand the challenges they face, and what it’s like to care from their perspective.”

The commission said it will, in the coming months, start a national conversation with the public about their experience and expectations of the adult social care system.

The second phase will look at “the model of care needed to address demographic change, how services must be organised to deliver this and discuss alternative models that could be considered in future to deliver a fair and affordable adult care system”.