Public opinion is the essential bedrock of social care reform. Without a deeper and broader understanding of what social care is, and what it makes possible, political consensus will remain fragile and progress will stall. The Casey Commission should use this moment to lead a sustained public dialogue that listens to people’s lived experience and makes clear what good social care enables in everyday life.
High-quality social care transforms lives, enabling people to live with greater independence, dignity and purpose. It reduces pressure on the NHS, strengthens community ties, and helps people thrive. Yet many people do not understand who provides care, how it is funded or what good social care looks like.
This misunderstanding matters. When social care is poorly understood, it struggles to secure sustained public and political priority. It often sits low on the list of national concerns unless people are prompted to think about it directly. Over many years we have seen reviews, commissions and proposals for reform, but not the enduring settlement the sector needs.
The media, policymakers and others with influence have a critical role to play in shifting this conversation. That starts with listening to, and elevating, the voices of people who draw on care and support, their families and friends, and the workforce. Their stories bring to life the broad, and sometimes intangible, nature of care. They also help identify the expectations the public can stand behind, building a stronger evidence base for reform than the sector’s usual oscillation between ‘fix’ and ‘flourish’.
There is room for optimism. If we pair honesty about the pressures with a sharper, person-centred account of what social care makes possible, and ground the next phase of reform in public understanding as well as policy design, we can move the debate from drift to determination, and create the conditions for meaningful, lasting change.
Gerard Crofton-Martin
Interim Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)