Last week marked an important moment for the future of adult social care.
The Prime Minister has committed to establishing a National Care Service in the next Parliament founded on the same principles as the NHS, where everyone contributes and everyone is covered.
It will provide free personal care for older people, covering essential support such as help with bathing and using the toilet. Existing means-tested council contributions will remain for bed and board.
Crucially, the government will start laying the foundations now. Baroness Louise Casey's independent commission on adult social care will recommend how and when the National Care Service should be built up, informed by public deliberation and ongoing cross-party discussions. Her report is due in summer 2027.
Meanwhile in recognition of the vital contribution social care workers make to this country and the future National Care Service, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper, announced a package of reforms to fulfil the Prime Minister’s commitment to improve the strength and capability of those providing care.
This includes plans to appoint the first unpaid carers champion to drive support for the millions of people who provide unpaid care for older or disabled people.
It also includes a commitment to develop a new workforce action plan, which brings together both the existing steps and the new measures the government is to better support and value the social care workforce and improve pay, terms and conditions.
The Secretary of State announced that these new workforce measures will include a national collective pension scheme specially for care workers. This will provide greater stability for care workers in retirement and make care a more attractive long-term career. The government will work with pensions providers, unions and social care employers to establish the scheme. This builds on the first ever Fair Pay Agreement, backed by £500 million in the first year and set to launch in 2028.
The government also announced that it will work with the care sector to expand Sector-based Work Academy Programmes increasing the opportunities for young people and jobseekers to access careers in care. This will give jobseekers training, work experience and a guaranteed interview or other recruitment opportunity, all helping to cut down on vacancies in adult social care. It will provide an opportunity for young people looking to find their first role, with the government committed to ensure care is a brilliant sector in which to build a career.
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