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National Care Service plans in pipeline for 2028, say ministers

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  • Post last modified:January 3, 2025

Proposals on the long-term funding of adult social care in England are unlikely to be delivered before 2028 at the earliest, the government has confirmed. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting is promising “to finally grasp the nettle on social care reform”, with an independent commission due to begin work in April. However, the commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, is not due to publish its final report until 2028. Councils and care providers say it is too long to wait for reform of vital services which are already on their knees.

The government also announced immediate plans to get care workers to do more health checks, and a funding boost for services to help elderly and disabled people remain in their homes. Social care means help for older or disabled people with day-to-day tasks like washing, dressing, medication and eating. Only those with the most complex health needs get social care provided free by the NHS, so most care is paid for by councils. In England, only people with high needs and savings or assets of less than £23,250 are eligible for that help, leaving a growing number of people to fund themselves.

The government’s ultimate aim is “a new National Care Service, able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st Century”, said Streeting. He said he had invited opposition parties to take part in the commission “to build a cross-party consensus to ensure the National Care Service survives governments of different shades, just as our NHS has for the past 76 years”.

The problem has been getting political agreement on how overdue reform will be funded. In 2010, Labour plans to fund social care were labelled a “death tax” in that year’s election, and Conservative plans were called a “dementia tax” in the 2017 election. There have also been numerous commissions, reviews and inquiries over the past 25 years which have failed to bring change.

The care systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are slightly more generous, but all are facing the pressures of growing demand and squeezed finances. “Our ageing society, with costs of care set to double in the next 20 years, demands longer-term action”, said Streeting. The government had promised a National Care Service in its manifesto, although provided little detail. The independent commission will work with users of care services, their families, staff, politicians and the public to recommend how best to build a care service to meet current and future needs.

“Millions of older people, disabled people, their families and carers rely upon an effective adult social care system to live their lives to the full with independence and dignity”, said Baroness Casey. “An independent commission is an opportunity to start a national conversation, find the solutions and build consensus on a long-term plan to fix the system”.

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