The challenge facing social care is not simply responding to rising demand, but ensuring that we prevent, delay, or reduce the need for more intensive services, maximise independence, and enable people to live well in the place they call home.
We know that earlier action and prevention improve outcomes for people, reduce long-term dependency, and support the sustainability of both the NHS and social care.
We already have strong foundations embedded in the Care Act 2014 and a widely-shared understanding of what good care should deliver. Our task now includes tackling unwarranted variation in social care.
As the Casey Commission considers the future of adult social care, this is a prime opportunity to promote prevention and early intervention and to identify the investment needed for a National Care Service. That includes building a system that is fair, equitable, and easier for people to understand and navigate.
Gerard Crofton-Martin
Interim Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)