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CSA responds to Prime Minister’s speech on adult social care reform
July 29, 2026
The Care and Support Alliance (CSA) has welcomed today’s speech by the Prime Minister setting out the Government’s plans to begin reform of England’s adult social care system.
The speech marked the launch of a new phase of work on social care reform, including the acceleration of Baroness Casey’s independent commission, a renewed commitment to strengthening the social care workforce, the start of cross-party talks to build consensus on a long-term settlement, and the launch of Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care.
Drawing on his own family’s experience of dementia, the Prime Minister argued that adult social care can no longer remain in the “too difficult” box. Acknowledging that governments of all political parties have failed to resolve the longstanding challenges facing the system, he called for a new approach that puts people before politics and seeks lasting consensus on reform.
Responding to today’s announcements, Caroline Abrahams CBE, Emily Holzhausen CBE and Jackie O’Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Care and Support Alliance, said:
“Today’s announcement offers the best opportunity in a generation to secure lasting reform of adult social care.
“The Prime Minister spoke powerfully about his family’s experience of dementia and care, reflecting a longstanding personal commitment to reform. We welcome his determination to make social care an early priority, his commitment to work across political parties, his decision to accelerate Baroness Casey’s timetable for reform, and his support for Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care as the starting point for building lasting change.
“Bringing forward Baroness Casey’s final recommendations recognises the urgency of reform. People who draw on care and support, unpaid carers and the social care workforce have waited long enough for change and cannot afford more years of delay.
“Beginning with a national conversation about what people should be able to expect from a modern care and support system is exactly the right approach. Launching the Big Conversation on Care now, well before the next General Election, creates an opportunity to build the broad public and political consensus that has been missing from previous attempts at reform.
“Around half of us will either need care ourselves or care for someone we love during our lifetime. Yet most people only discover how the system works when they are already in crisis. Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care must therefore be shaped by the voices of the people who know it best – older people, disabled people, unpaid carers, care workers and families.
“We also welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition of the vital contribution made by the social care workforce. Care workers deserve fair pay, opportunities to develop their skills and careers, and the recognition that reflects the skilled, compassionate and essential role they play in people’s lives. A valued workforce will be fundamental to building the National Care Service the Government has set out as its ambition.
“The debate about social care has too often focused solely on how to pay for it. Reform isn’t just about paying for care. It’s about addressing the real scandal that millions of people still cannot get the good-quality care and support they need. Any long-term funding solution should be judged on whether it enables older and disabled people to live the lives they choose with dignity, independence and choice, supports unpaid carers, eases pressure on the NHS, and builds a fair, sustainable care and support system – not on political slogans.”
“Today’s announcement is an important opportunity to move beyond political point-scoring. The real test now is whether Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care leads to practical improvements for people who need care and support today, while laying the foundations for the fair, sustainable system that people have waited decades to see.”
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 ADASS Spring Survey 2026
July 15, 2026
The ADASS Spring Survey, published 14 July 2026, warns that councils face an overspend of £715 million on adult social care.
In response, a CSA spokesperson said:
“A projected £715 million overspend on adult social care is a stark warning that the current system is not sustainable. As more people need support, councils are being forced to make increasingly difficult decisions with resources that simply haven’t kept pace with demand. The result is that too many older people, disabled people and unpaid carers are left waiting, struggling to cope, or going without the support that could help them stay independent.
“The survey underlines that this is about much more than local government finances. Whether it’s people waiting months for help, disputes over NHS Continuing Healthcare, growing pressures on mental health services or families providing ever greater levels of unpaid care, these are all symptoms of a system that no longer works as it should.
“There is now a genuine opportunity to change course. With a new Prime Minister taking office and Baroness Casey’s Commission underway, this must be the moment to move beyond managing today’s pressures and start building the care and support system the country needs for the future. We hope the new Government will seize this moment, work cross-party and to deliver the lasting reform that has been promised for far too long.”
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.”
