Baroness Louise Casey, leading a review into the reform of the social care sector, is set to deliver a stark critique of the government's handling of social care during a speech at the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC) in Liverpool. In her address, she will emphasize that successive governments have been "asleep at the wheel" regarding social care, a sentiment echoed in a new report commissioned by her team which describes the current system as a "fundamentally fragmented system" with no overall leadership. The report highlights the chaos that ensued during the Covid-19 pandemic, where the virus spread rapidly in care homes, leading to many elderly individuals dying without the presence of family members, a situation Casey labels as "a national shame."

The research, conducted by the Nuffield Trust and the Institute for Government, underscores the complexity of adult social care in England, revealing that responsibilities are scattered across various government departments, arm’s-length bodies, and a multitude of non-public sector providers. This fragmentation has resulted in opaque decision-making processes and a significant lack of clarity regarding oversight. The report notes that England is unique among the UK nations in lacking a mandatory register of care workers, which has contributed to the dominance of private providers in a system that has evolved in an uncontrolled manner. Currently, over 1.5 million social care staff work across approximately 19,000 employers in England, yet the absence of a coherent structure raises concerns about the quality and accessibility of care.S1S2

In her upcoming speech, Baroness Casey will call for "a new settlement for care," advocating for a system built on shared values of decency and duty to care for one another. This initiative is part of her broader efforts through the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, which began its work last summer and aims to address the systemic issues within the care sector. The final report, which will include comprehensive recommendations for establishing a National Care Service, is expected to be published in summer 2027. Casey's remarks will also reference findings from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which criticized the government's approach to care homes during the pandemic and dismissed claims of a protective strategy as "unfounded."S1S2