SCIE responds to the King’s Speech

Today was a recognition of the scale of the task at hand in reforming health and care. The NHS Modernisation Bill marks a significant step forward in acknowledging that the system must be simpler, more accountable, and better joined up around people’s lives.

The commitment to create a Single Patient Record is positive. People shouldn’t have to repeat their story at every point of contact with services. Joining up health and social care records has the potential to improve safety, support earlier intervention, and help people make informed decisions about their own care. But this will only work if social care is built in from the start, with the right investment in digital skills, data standards, and connectivity across local authorities, providers, and community services.

We also welcome the commitment to ensure the voices of people using care and support will directly feed into the services they receive. Putting people at the centre of care is vital; the transfer of Local Healthwatch functions to local authorities must strengthen, not weaken, the voice of people who draw on care and support.

While today’s reforms rightly focus on delivering more preventative, community-based support, more detail is urgently needed on the role social care will play. Leaving social care out of the equation threatens the Government’s pursuit of its wider ambitions for stability, public service reform, and national renewal. The pace of change and investment in the NHS must be matched by the pace of change and investment in social care if it is to achieve these ambitions.