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Our response to Baroness Casey’s remarks at the Nuffield Trust Summit

March 6, 2026

The Care & Support Alliance (CSA) applauds Baroness Casey’s frank assessment of the state of the social care system and her focus on governance, accountability and the need for a clear national purpose for care and support.

For too long the system has been expected to deliver for older people, disabled people and unpaid carers without the clarity, leadership or resources needed to make it work. Baroness Casey is right to highlight that reform cannot simply mean tinkering around the edges.

It is encouraging to see a focus not just on money, but on how the system is organised, who is responsible for making it work, and what people should be able to expect from care and support. Real reform will require both political backing and long-term sustainable funding.

With more people living longer and more people living with disability and long-term conditions, pressures on care and support will only grow. That’s why Baroness Casey’s call for a national conversation about the future of social care is so important. The CSA will do everything we can to support this.

Crucially, lasting reform will only succeed if it is built on strong cross-party support. Social care has suffered for decades from short-term political cycles and reforms that never make it past the next election. It is vital that politicians from all sides back this process – or they will be failing millions of their constituents.

We welcome the government accepting Baroness Casey’s recommendations for immediate action ahead of her phase one report later this year and urge ministers to move quickly.

Older people, disabled people and unpaid carers cannot afford further delay.

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Our response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2025

November 26, 2025

In response to the Chancellor’s Budget announcement on 26 November 2025, the three co-chairs of the Care and Support Alliance; Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at Mencap, and Emily Holzhausen CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said: 

“Today’s Budget announcement does nothing to address the escalating crisis in social care. Adult social care budgets in England are already heading for a £623 million overspend this year, driven by rising demand from people with increasingly complex needs – and demographic modelling shows this pressure will only increase as more of us live longer with multiple long-term conditions.

Behind these figures lies a staggering level of unmet need. Disabled people, older people and unpaid carers are being left without the basic support required to live safely and with dignity. Families are being pushed to breaking point, and local authorities cannot continue stretching budgets that no longer meet even their legal duties.

Just yesterday, we delivered our Red Box of Stories to the Chancellor – a powerful reminder of the real lives behind these statistics. Those stories made clear that people cannot afford to wait any longer for action.

We strongly support the work of the Casey Commission, which will play a vital role in setting out long-term solutions — but action on social care cannot wait until 2028. People need help now. The Government must commit to urgent investment or the crisis will deepen further and the human cost will continue to grow.”

 

A red briefcase lies open on a bench. It is filled with real stories from people who need or draw on social care. A red sign next to the box says 'The hardest part is having to fight for every little bit of support'.

Autumn Budget 2025: Delivering Our Red Box of Stories

November 25, 2025

Red briefcase lies open, filled with stories, letters and notes to the Chancellor

On 24 November, a small delegation of Care and Support Alliance (CSA) campaigners made their way to No.11 Downing Street to hand-deliver our symbolic red box, filled with the stories of the real figures that matter – the older people, disabled people and unpaid carers across the country whose lives are shaped by the care and support they can access.

Campaigners deliver our red box of stories to Downing Street

Campaigners Rasila and Vic stand outside 10 Downing Street

Our delegation delivered the red box to Chancellor Rachel Reeves at No. 11 Downing Street, reminding her that with the Budget only days away, the most important “figures” she must consider aren’t numbers in spreadsheets, but the millions of people struggling without the care and support they urgently need.

Vic, an unpaid carer who attended the hand-in at Downing Street, said: 

“I’ve been a carer for more than twenty years, supporting both my wife and my son while working full-time. My day doesn’t end when my shift does — I care before work, after work, and through the night. Like so many families, we just keep going because there’s no real safety net. What we need is proper funding for social care so that people like my son can live safely and reach their potential, and carers like me can get the breaks and support we need to stay well. Caring shouldn’t mean losing your health, your income, or your hope. We need a system that truly shares the responsibility, not one that leaves families to shoulder it alone.”

Emily, co-chair of the Care and Support Alliance said:

“Today’s red box carries the real figures the Chancellor must consider – the disabled people, older people and carers who desperately need her to act. Social care is not a luxury – it’s essential for millions of families across the country and yet, far too many people are going without, bearing the cost of successive governments’ inaction. Investment in social care is not only about compassion but also about strengthening the NHS, the economy, and community. The chancellor must deliver the funding needed right here, right now.”

Read our letter to Rachel Reeves

Our brilliant co-chair Jackie powered through London’s chaos and arrived just in time!

Jackie runs along Downing Street to join the delegation

Unfortunately, not all of our delegation made it. One of our long-standing activists, a powered wheelchair user, was unable to attend because his chair’s motor broke more than a month ago – and still hasn’t been repaired. The impact on his independence, mobility, and ability to participate underscores exactly why today’s message is so vital. His absence was powerfully felt, and a stark reminder of the challenges and delays too many disabled people face.

After the hand-in at No.11, the delegation joined a larger group of CSA campaigners and supporters, and together we made our way to the Treasury. With banners, determination and a shared purpose, we carried the voices of millions who need a social care system that really works.

 

Image of a receipt showing the ‘Cost of Inaction on Social Care’. Items on the list are: ‘2 million over 65s with an unmet care and support need, 5.8 million unpaid carers, Up to 1.5 million disabled adults eligible for support but not getting it, 1.2 million unpaid carers in poverty, and 400,000 in deep poverty, 111,000 vacant posts in adult social care. At the bottom, the total reads ‘Millions left without the right support’. This is circled in red. A red arrow points to handwritten red text that says ‘The real figures that matter’.

Campaigners walking through Westminster with the red box of stories Large group of campaigners gather in Westminster with signs and a banner that says 'Don't forget about the real figures in social care'

 

As the Chancellor finalises her Budget, our message is clear: Remember the people behind the numbers. Make social care the national priority it must be.

Below, you’ll find photos from the day — including Jackie’s heroic dash, the hand-in at Downing Street, and the group outside the Treasury.

Together, we keep pushing. Together, we keep telling these stories. And together, we’ll keep campaigning for the investment and action that older people, disabled people and unpaid carers need — and deserve.

 

Autumn Budget 2025: The Real Figures that Matter

November 12, 2025

As the Chancellor prepares the 2025 autumn Budget, we at the Care and Support Alliance urge her to remember the real people behind the numbers – and to make social care a national priority. 

 Don't forget the real figures in social care

This month, before the Budget announcement, we will deliver a symbolic red box filled with stories from disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers to Downing Street. The message is clear: the most important “figures” in this Budget are people – and we cannot wait any longer for action on social care. 

You can read the stories we shared with the Chancellor here

Image of a receipt showing the ‘Cost of Inaction on Social Care’. Items on the list are: ‘2 million over 65s with an unmet care and support need, 5.8 million unpaid carers, Up to 1.5 million disabled adults eligible for support but not getting it, 1.2 million unpaid carers in poverty, and 400,000 in deep poverty, 111,000 vacant posts in adult social care. At the bottom, the total reads ‘Millions left without the right support’. This is circled in red. A red arrow points to handwritten red text that says ‘The real figures that matter’.

Social care remains chronically underfunded, leaving hundreds of thousands without the help and support they need to live their lives safely and with dignity. As the Care and Support Alliance – a coalition of 60 leading charities – we know that without urgent investment, more disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers will be left without the care they need. People will miss out on the support they need to live safely, happily and independently. Families will continue to be pushed to breaking point as they struggle to plug the gaps.  

As a matter of urgency, we are calling on the Chancellor to: 

  • Commit to long-term, sustainable funding for social care.  
  • Ensure fair pay and conditions for care staff.  
  • Guarantee that everyone who needs care and support can access it, regardless of where they live.

 

Disabled unpaid carer quote Red and dark grey background with a red briefcase. Text reads: The figures that matter in social care: “Disabled carers like me must be valued and respected as part of the hidden workforce, saving the government billions of pounds.” Faiza, 70

Older person quote Red briefcase background with white text that reads: “I want to live my final years comfortably, without the stress of organising care and constantly worrying how I will pay for things. There is so much suffering.” Mary, 87

    CSA responds to CQC’s State of Care report

    November 3, 2025

    In response to the CQC’s 2025 State of Care report, Caroline Abrahams, co-chair of the Care and Support Alliance says:

    “The last sentence in the press release accompanying this report is arguably one of the most important: in it the CQC repeats its call for long-term sustainable funding for social care, an objective we strongly share. In the meantime, the report is full of examples of the harm being caused to people and to any hope of building a truly effective health and care system without it. The Government’s ambitions to move care out of hospitals and into the community, tackle delayed discharges and meet the 18-week standard for elective care will ultimately fail.

    “We have warmly welcomed the establishment of the Casey Commission and we are committed to helping in any way we can, but the report acknowledges that the full solution to the problems facing social care ultimately lies in the hands of politicians and in how they respond to the Commission’s findings in due course. As the work of the Commission gears up we need politicians on all sides to demonstrate their support for the process, so people who use social care can be hopeful that it will generate real change.” 

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