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Addressing inequity in social care

Today, 20 April 2026, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has launched its Care Equity Evidence Hub—an online resource bringing together research, data, and practice evidence to address inequities in social care.

There are persistent differences in people’s access to social care and support, their experiences of services, and the outcomes they achieve. Yet the evidence needed to understand and address these differences is often fragmented, difficult to find and written in ways that limit its use in practice. These barriers prevent those shaping policy, commissioning, and practice decisions from using evidence meaningfully.

The Care Equity Evidence Hub responds to this challenge by consolidating and summarising reviewed and appraised evidence from across research, data and practice. By presenting it in an accessible way and organising it around sector priorities, the Hub makes it easier to find and apply in real-world decision-making.

Evidence in the Hub is organised across six key themes: workforce, underserved populations, neighbourhood health, financial inequities, geographical inequities, and the use of technology in care.

No one should receive worse care, or miss out on care, because of who they are, where they live, or their circumstances. Yet inequities in social care remain a persistent and widely recognised challenge—from timely, personalised support that enables independence and dignity, to long waiting lists, high eligibility thresholds and unmet basic needs.

The evidence on care equity has often been fragmented and difficult for social care professionals to access and apply. This creates a gap between what we know and what we can do.

This new resource for the sector supports people to quickly find, understand and apply evidence in ways that reflect the realities of practice.

By helping us better understand where inequities occur, how they affect different communities and what approaches may help address them, it takes us a step closer to creating a fairer system that responds to people’s varied circumstances—and enables them to live fulfilling lives.

Gerard Crofton-Martin

Interim Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)

The Care Equity Evidence Hub was shaped through engagement with organisations and individuals across the social care sector—including policymakers, commissioners, providers, researchers, people who draw on care and support and unpaid carers. 

Equity in social care is a vital issue for people who access care and support, and the Evidence Hub will contribute to developing policies, commissioning and practice that result in people with lived experience receiving the services and support they want and need.

The voices of people with lived experience have been central in shaping the Evidence Hub, and we have worked alongside professionals from a range of different backgrounds on an equitable basis to ensure that this resource will be useful for everyone concerned with social care.

Patrick Wood

Chair of SCIE's Co-production Steering Group, who has served in an advisory role to the design and direction of the Hub

About SCIE

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 independent social care charity working with organisations that support adults, families and children across the UK.

If you have any questions regarding this release, please do not hesitate to contact Molly Pennington, Press and Media Relations Officer, at molly.pennington@scie.org.uk

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