Let 2026 be the year that long overdue social care reform is delivered - Mike Padgham

And yet, I remain, as ever, a glass-half-full person. A new year always brings a sense of possibility. With that comes my enduring hope that this will finally be the moment when social care is elevated to its rightful place in national priorities. But hope alone will not deliver the reform we need, and the reality is that time is running out.

Every day, care providers are contending with staff shortages, escalating costs, and increasing regulatory and contractual pressures. Meanwhile, government policy seems - whether intentionally or not - to make life harder rather than easier for those trying to keep services afloat. It is deeply frustrating to watch a sector that contributes billions to the UK economy, employs more people than the NHS, and supports millions of individuals and families still fighting to justify its own importance.

The economic case for social care investment is indisputable. What continues to baffle many of us is why Treasury orthodoxy struggles to grasp the fundamental truth: funding social care properly saves public money.

It prevents unnecessary hospital admissions, speeds up NHS discharge, enables people to live well in their own homes, and strengthens local communities. Years of underinvestment have created the opposite effect - delayed treatment, hospital bottlenecks, exhausted staff, and vulnerable people left without the support they need.

If we truly want a sustainable NHS, we must invest in a sustainable social care system. It is not an optional extra; it is the foundation of good health, independence, and community wellbeing.

I am hopeful that Baroness Casey - an immensely capable and respected figure - will use her influence to encourage the Government to accelerate its long-promised review of adult social care. She understands the urgency, even if so many before her have struggled to persuade ministers of it. But even she has major issues across public services to grapple with, and the early indications suggest that the Government’s review will not report until 2028. That may be administratively convenient, but for our sector - and more importantly, for the people relying on us - it is far too long to wait.

We do not need another four years of consultation, delay, and political hesitation. We already know what needs to be done. We have known for decades. The question is not what to do - it is when the Government will finally choose to act.

Let 2026 be the year that decision is made. Let it be the year ministers are brave rather than cautious, ambitious rather than incremental. Let it be the year they decide that a stronger, fairer, and more coherent social care system is not only desirable but essential to the country’s future.

One bold step would be to commit to the creation of a National Care Service - a system that places social care on equal footing with the NHS, but designed with local influence, local flexibility, and local accountability. Care is delivered in communities, not in Whitehall. A National Care Service would allow for consistent standards and sustainable funding while still empowering local providers and councils to shape services around local needs.

At present, care providers are often forced to operate in a race to the bottom as local authorities and Integrated Care Boards struggle to pay realistic rates for care. This is not because councils and ICBs do not value care - they do. It is because the funding they receive is inadequate and the pressures they face are immense. But the result is the same: providers stretched to breaking point, staff unable to earn a wage that reflects their skill and responsibility, and vulnerable people left with fewer options and longer waits.

This is not sustainable. It must change.

And so, once again, I extend a genuine and heartfelt invitation to the Care Minister, Stephen Kinnock; the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting; and the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to come and see social care on the frontline. Perhaps they might even bring the Chancellor with them.

We would welcome them warmly. We want to show them - not in a report, not in a briefing, but in real services with real people - what social care is doing every day to help the government, support communities, improve lives, and save the Treasury money.

I have issued these invitations many times before and have yet to receive a response. I am hopeful our local MP, Alison Hume, will help to facilitate such a meeting, and we are grateful for her efforts of support to date. But meaningful change must come from the top.

My hope, as we face another challenging year, is that this time our calls will not be ignored. We cannot wait until 2028. The moment is now. The country needs a strong, fair, and sustainable social care system—and we stand ready to build it.

Mike Padgham is honorary president of the Independent Care Group.