Independent Commission on Adult Social Care officially launched

The Independent Commission on Adult Social Care was officially launched this week when Baroness Casey met with carers, disabled people, advocates and campaigners to listen to their lived experience of the system.

Phase one of the commission will focus on making the most of existing resources to improve people’s lives over the medium term and will report to the Prime Minister in 2026. Then, there will be a second stage that will report in 2028, reviewing widescale reform that the government hopes will lead to the creation of a National Care Service.

The National Care Service was one of Labour’s key manifesto points in the 2024 election, and they said it would be “underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country”. It would prioritise people being cared for at home “for as long as possible”. Labour also pledged a “new legal right” for people in residential care to see their families.

Baroness Casey of Blackstock 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”.

Over the coming months, the Independent Commission will start a national conversation with the public about their experience and expectations of the adult social care system. The Commission will then provide details on how the public can engage with this work.

Problems facing adult social care

In March 2024, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee set out its assessment of the pressures on the sector, including:

• chronic underfunding
• ‘patchwork’ funding and the lack of a long-term funding settlement hindering planning
• workforce vacancies
• rising waiting lists.

Lord Darzi’s ‘Independent investigation of the NHS in England’, published last September, also described the state of social care as ‘dire’. The new Labour government had commissioned Lord Darzi to undertake this rapid review two months earlier. It highlighted that 13% of NHS beds were occupied by people who could have been discharged from hospital.

Another issue is demand. For the year 2022/23, the NHS reported that 835,335 people received support from long-term support services, an increase of 17,415 people (2.1%) from 2021/22. Gross current expenditure on adult social care by local authorities was £23.7bn, an increase of £1.7bn (7.9%) from the previous year.

Responses to the launch of the Independent Commission

Kathryn Smith OBE, Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), said: “For too long, we’ve been stuck in social care’s version of Groundhog Day with report after report, commission after commission, but little in the way of lasting change. The Casey Commission is our moment to break the cycle. This is not just about fixing a broken system; it’s about reimagining how we care for each other as a society.

“Public understanding and support have been a missing link in previous attempts to reform the care sector. The Commission gives us a once-in-a-generation chance to build consensus across the public, politicians and the social care sector to secure a system that helps people live the lives they want – in homes they love, connected to their communities, with control and dignity.

“The significance of the Commission can’t be understated. With issues including unmet care needs, workforce shortages, and financial strain on local authorities and providers, the social care sector is in desperate need of a robust plan for change.”

Tim Nicholls, Assistant Director of Policy, Research & Strategy at the National Autistic Society, said: “We welcome the formal start of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care. It’s good that it began with speaking to people with first-hand experience of the social care system.

“But many, like us, will be worried by suggestions that changes should be phased over a decade. The adult social care system is broken right now and it’s failing autistic people and their families day after day. It’s vital that the Commission listens to their experiences carefully, and makes recommendations to improve people’s lives as soon as possible. Ultimately, Government will need to take action to make this happen, and so it must be ready to make the right choices.”

Jon Sparkes, OBE, Chief Executive of learning disability charity Mencap said: “This is a once in a generation opportunity and Louise Casey is the right person to seize it.  Just as the NHS was set up to tackle deep rooted health inequalities after the Second World War, so the work to establish a National Care Service should deal with the systemic problems faced by people who rely on care and which were highlighted so starkly during the pandemic.

“The social care system in this country is simply unable to meet the needs of people with a learning disability – day services are closing; care packages are rationed, and many people aren’t getting any care at all. Many well-trained care workers have voted with their feet and left the sector.

“The system is overly complex and needs investment. Attempts to reform it in the past have ended up becoming political footballs. We’re looking to all Parties to set aside their politics and put the interests of care users first by giving the Commission the support it needs to get this done once and for all.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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