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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'.

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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.” 

    Care and Support Alliance asks MPs to “Show Us You Care” 

    July 4, 2025

    On 3 July 2025, the Care and Support Alliance hosted a drop-in reception for MPs in Parliament called Show Us You Care.  

    Policy experts from some of the Alliance’s 60 member organisations, as well as a range of older and disabled people with experience of drawing on care, plus their unpaid carers and care professionals met with MPs to discuss the current state of social care. They discussed the transformative impact good, reliable care can have, and the issues many people face trying to get the care they need. The Care and Support Alliance also encouraged MPs to engage with the independent commission on social care, and to keep the pressure on Government to support the 3.5 million people unable to get the support they need right now. 

    Anna Dixon MP, who hosted the event, said:

    “We must build political consensus on social care, and raise public awareness of how important care and support is. People who draw on and provide care are too often invisible. We have to change that and celebrate the value of care and support.”

    Jack, who receives social care, said:

    “The less care I get, the less independent I am. There’s a real lack of aspiration for what a good life is for someone with a disability. We need a well-funded, needs-led care system that moves from enabling mere survival to fulfilling lives.”

    Emily Holzhausen, Care and Support Alliance Co-Chair, said: 

    “MPs – your voice really matters to us. We want you to hold decision makers to account and work with us to secure a better future for all of us. Investing in care is investing in all of us”

    Wondering if your MP was there? Here’s a list of those who joined us at the Show Us You Care event, or who sent a member of their team on their behalf. 

    • Anna Dixon
    • Ben Maguire
    • Ben Obese-Jecty
    • Bernard Jenkin
    • Hamish Falconer
    • Ian Sollom
    • Jeff Smith
    • Jo Platt
    • John Milne
    • Luke Evans
    • Mark Garnier
    • Nick Timothy
    • Perran Moon
    • Rebecca Norris
    • Taiwo Owatemi
    • Tulip Siddiq

    Care and Support Alliance responds to the Spending Review

    June 11, 2025

    On behalf of the Care and Support Alliance, Co-Chair, Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at Mencap, said:
    “We welcome the Chancellor’s commitment that the Government will ‘back the Fair Pay Agreement’ and as an Alliance we will hold her to her word, when the time comes – which will not be until 2027 we believe.
    “We also welcome the additional £4+ billion pledged for adult social care by 2028/9, when Baroness Casey’s Commission is due. However, until we are able to scrutinise the detail it is unclear just how generous this really is, given ever increasing pressures on social care costs and growing numbers of older and disabled people in our society.”
    “Our biggest take-away from this Spending Review is that while there is some promise of increased resources for social care – though just how much remains to be seen – they will not materialise for several years.  
    “The CSA will continue to press the Government to do more. The reality is that social care is struggling now, with literally millions of people going without enough or any of the care and support they need every day – they cannot be expected to wait and endure the current inadequate system of underfunded services. “

    The Care and Support Alliance is hosting an event in Parliament on 3 July 2025 called Show Us You Care. On the day, Care and Support Alliance members will bring policy experts and people directly impacted by social care to speak to MPs about what can and needs to be done to support older people, disabled people of working age, unpaid carers and care professionals between now and the publishing of Baroness Casey’s recommendations.

    Invite your MP to the Show Us You Care event

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