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DHSC announces next steps towards Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care
July 16, 2026
The Government has announced the next steps towards introducing the first-ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care in England, alongside an expanded Care Workforce Pathway.
Under the plans, a new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body will bring together employers and trade unions to negotiate pay, terms and conditions for the sector, with the first agreement expected to come into effect from April 2028. The Government has committed £500 million to support the first agreement and says the reforms will help recruit and retain care workers while supporting its ambition to create a National Care Service.
Responding to the announcement, CSA Co-Chairs Emily Holzhausen and Jackie O’Sullivan said:
“We welcome this as an important step towards giving care workers the recognition, voice and reward they deserve. For too long, the people who keep our care system going have been undervalued despite carrying out highly skilled and vital work.
“But a Fair Pay Agreement will only succeed if it is properly funded. Care providers and councils cannot be expected to absorb the cost of higher pay without risking fewer services for the people who rely on them. While the government’s £500 million commitment is welcome, spread across a workforce of 1.5 million people it is equivalent to around 17p an hour for a full-time care worker. Nor should the costs simply be passed on to people who fund their own care and their families, particularly when the government’s own assessment suggests they are likely to be disproportionately affected. Many are already grappling with rising fees driven by increases in the National Minimum Wage, employers’ National Insurance contributions, inflation and higher energy and food costs.
“Today’s announcement must also be part of something bigger. Better pay alone will not fix a system where too many older people, disabled people and unpaid carers still cannot get the care and support they need.
“With Baroness Casey’s Commission underway and a new Prime Minister in office, there is a genuine opportunity to build on today’s announcement as part of the wider reform our care system so urgently needs. We look forward to working with government to ensure workforce reforms are matched by the long-term changes needed to create a care and support system that is sustainable, properly funded and delivers high-quality support for everyone who needs it.”
CSA responds to Government’s Unpaid Carers Action Plan
July 14, 2026
The Government has today published its Unpaid Carers Action Plan, setting out a cross-government programme of work to better recognise unpaid carers, improve access to information and support, and help carers remain connected to work, education and their communities.
The Action Plan focuses on three priorities – Recognise, Refer and Reach – and includes measures to improve the identification of unpaid carers across public services, strengthen signposting to support, and build on wider work to improve employment rights for carers.
Responding to the publication of the Government’s Unpaid Carers Action Plan, CSA Co-chairs Caroline Abrahams, Emily Holzhausen and Jackie O’Sullivan said:
“The Government’s new cross-government Action Plan is an important recognition of the vital role millions of unpaid carers play every day. Improving how carers are identified, referred to support and helped to remain connected to work and their communities are all important and necessary steps.
“But recognition alone is not enough. Every day, millions of unpaid carers continue to fill the gaps left by an overstretched social care system, often at significant cost to their own health, finances and wellbeing. Too many are forced to reduce their hours at work, give up employment altogether or reach breaking point because the care and support their loved one needs simply isn’t available.
“The commitments to improve the identification of carers across public services and strengthen employment rights have the potential to make a real difference. However, they must sit alongside wider reform of adult social care. Unpaid carers cannot continue to shoulder ever greater responsibilities because formal care is unavailable, delayed or simply doesn’t exist.
“As Baroness Casey has recognised, unpaid carers are too often left acting as unpaid project managers of a fragmented system. The Casey Commission provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that. We urge the Government to build on today’s announcement by delivering a sustainable, long-term settlement for adult social care that ensures carers receive the practical support, respite and services they need.
“Most of us will either need care ourselves or care for someone we love during our lifetime. Supporting unpaid carers is not only the right thing to do – it is essential to building a fair, sustainable care system for the future.”
CSA responds to the CQC’s first national assessment of adult social care
The Care and Support Alliance has responded to the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s first national assessment of adult social care provided by local authorities in England.
The report, based on assessments of 143 local authorities carried out between 2023 and 2026, found that 35% of councils require improvement, 2% are rated inadequate, and just 3% are rated outstanding, while 60% were judged to be good. It highlights significant variation in people’s experiences depending on where they live, with concerns including long waits for assessments, reviews, services and equipment, inconsistent support for unpaid carers, weaknesses in safeguarding in some areas, and poor transitions from children’s to adult services.
The CQC concluded that while many councils are delivering good services despite significant pressures, there is too much unwarranted variation in adult social care across England and called for stronger national standards to ensure people can expect consistently high-quality support regardless of where they live.
Responding to the report, CSA Co-chairs Caroline Abrahams, Emily Holzhausen and Jackie O’Sullivan said:
“No one should face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting the care and support they need. This report confirms what too many older and disabled people and unpaid carers already know – where you live can have a huge impact on whether you get help, how quickly you get it, and the quality of support you receive.
“This isn’t because councils don’t care or aren’t working hard. Many local authorities are delivering good services despite years of rising demand, increasingly complex needs, workforce shortages and chronic underinvestment. But they cannot keep being asked to do more with less.
“Long waits for assessments, inconsistent support for unpaid carers, poor transitions for disabled young people and weaknesses in safeguarding are not just system failures – they have real consequences for people’s independence, health and dignity.
“Strong local leadership matters, but it cannot compensate for a system that has been stretched to breaking point. Councils need a sustainable national funding settlement and a clear long-term plan for reform.
“The Casey Commission presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a social care system that is fair, sustainable and consistent across the country. This report shows exactly why we cannot afford to delay.”
CSA writes to new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
June 4, 2026
James Murray has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following Wes Streeting’s resignation.
Our three co-chairs have written to James Murray on behalf of the CSA to introduce ourselves, outline our hopes and ambitions for adult social care reform and offer our support in his new role.
Read the letter to James Murray below.
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.
