6 May 2025
Yesterday, 5 May 2025, the Health and Social Care Committee published its report, ‘Adult Social Care Reform: the cost of inaction’.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) submitted written evidence to the inquiry that informed this report in December 2024, and SCIE Chief Executive, Kathryn Smith OBE, gave oral evidence in the first public session in January 2025.
In response to the key findings of the report, Kathryn Smith OBE said:
Whilst the inquiry could not estimate the full cost that we, as a country, are paying for inaction, the case for change is clear.
This report provides further sobering confirmation of the deep and systemic challenges facing the social care sector. This evidence is clear: inaction is not an option for the people who rely on care and support, unpaid carers, our NHS and the economy.
When properly resourced and delivered with compassion and expertise, social care is not a burden on the economy—it is a vital investment in people’s lives and communities. High-quality social care transforms lives, enabling people to live with greater independence, dignity and purpose. Social care done well reduces pressure on the NHS, strengthens community ties, and helps people thrive.
The social care system may be ‘broken’, but it is not beyond repair. The Casey Commission gives us a real opportunity to get off the merry-go-round of reports and commissions, but nothing by way of lasting change. The Casey Commission has the opportunity to transform the social care sector into a robust, equitable, and efficient system.
Kathryn Smith OBE
Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Notes to editors
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) improves the lives of people of all ages by co-producing, sharing, and supporting the use of the best available knowledge and evidence about what works in practice. We are a leading social care improvement independent charity working with organisations that support adults, families and children across the UK. We also work closely with related services such as health care and housing. We improve the quality of care and support services for adults and children by:
- Identifying and sharing knowledge about what works and what’s new.
- Supporting people who plan, commission, deliver and use services to put that knowledge into practice.
- Informing, influencing and inspiring the direction of future practice and policy.
Our mission is to support best practice, shape policy and raise awareness of the importance of social care, working together. With the government’s ambition of reducing consultancy bills, SCIE can serve as the not-for-profit partner of government, working collaboratively to identify and implement improvements.
If you have any questions regarding this submission, please do not hesitate to contact media@scie.org.uk