Health and social care are two sides of the same coin. You cannot deliver meaningful reform in one without sustained, strategic attention to the other.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a welcome ambition to move care closer to home, to focus on prevention, and to invest in digital tools, but these aims will fall short unless they are matched by a coherent, long-term vision for social care. While SCIE has welcomed the Casey Commission and its forthcoming work, the Commission is not due to report until 2028. By then, healthcare reform will be three years ahead of a roadmap for social care reform.
Social care supports people to leave hospital safely, helps them stay well at home, and to live meaningful, independent lives. That’s why the success of the Neighbourhood Health Service rests on the strength and stability of our social care infrastructure. Neighbourhood working, at its best, is about trust, shared decision-making and holistic, person-centred care. If we want a future NHS that is proactive rather than reactive, social care should be recognised as a driver of wellbeing and prevention in our communities.
The government has set an ambitious mission of building an NHS fit for the future. SCIE calls on government and NHS leaders to bring the care and health sectors together as equal partners to deliver the Plan’s aims for prevention, wellbeing, community support and tackling inequalities.
Kathryn Marsden OBE (formerly Kathryn Smith)
Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)