Health · Healthcare & Policy · 1 hr ago
Louise Casey to warn England’s social care system lacks clear leadership
Louise Casey is expected to warn that no one is in charge of adult social care in England.
She says successive governments have failed to provide clear leadership, leaving services to develop as a patchwork that varies by area.
People can face different care standards, assessment processes and waiting times depending on where they live, while private providers play a major role and regulation can be ineffective.
Casey is preparing proposals for a major review, which the prime minister has brought forward to next year.
The government expects a plan for a national care service to feature in Labour’s next election manifesto, and the prime minister has proposed using savings from changes to the state pension triple lock to invest in care.
Casey also agrees with the Covid-19 inquiry’s criticism of protection for care homes; more than 43,000 people died in UK care homes from Covid-19 between March 2020 and July 2022.
She is expected to call for a new settlement for care, but research she has drawn on says reform will need political commitment and resources.
Louise Casey is set to warn that England’s social care system lacks clear leadership and has become a chaotic patchwork of local services.
She will say people receive different standards of care, assessments and waiting times depending on where they live.
Casey is preparing proposals for a major review of adult social care, which the prime minister has accelerated to completion next year.
She is expected to call for a “new settlement” for care based on decency, contribution and a duty to care for others.
Casey will also say the Covid-19 inquiry showed that care homes were not protected during the pandemic.
- Who
- Louise Casey, head of the social care commission, is set to issue the warning.
- What
- She will warn that England’s social care system has no clear leadership or vision. She is preparing proposals for a major review of adult social care.
- When
- Casey is due to speak on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
- Where
- England’s social care system is the subject. Casey is due to speak at the annual national children and adult services conference.
- Why
- She says a lack of clear system stewardship has contributed to inconsistent services and made improvements difficult.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
More than 43,000 people died from Covid-19 in UK care homes.
Covid-19 inquiry chair Heather Hallett described adult social care during the pandemic as “something of an afterthought”.
Casey is due to speak at the annual national children and adult services conference and warn about the state of social care.
The prime minister has accelerated completion of the Casey review to this year, 12 months earlier than originally envisaged.
- Review
- The prime minister accelerated completion to next year, 12 months earlier than envisaged.
- Care home deaths
- More than 43,000 people died from Covid-19 in UK care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.
- Research organisations
- Nuffield Trust and Institute for Government
- Proposed care settlement
- Casey says it should be based on decency, contribution and a duty to care for others.
What people are saying
no one is in charge
It is a national shame that this was allowed to happen. It should never happen again.
asleep at the wheel