Yesterday’s Budget was delivered against a backdrop of inflation, demographic change, rising workforce costs, increasing demand for care and tightening local authority budgets. These have all added to the existing financial pressures the social care sector faces.

Whilst the NHS was afforded significant investment, in excess of £25 billion, the social care sector is only due to receive £600 million of new grant funding. Although investment into the sector is welcome, as recognised by the Darzi Review, the sustainability of the NHS is fundamentally interconnected with that of social care. A properly functioning and adequately resourced social care sector is vital to the success of the NHS.

The increase to the weekly earnings limit for carer’s allowance is a positive step towards improving the financial security of carers, particularly women, who form the majority of those in caregiving roles. It also enables greater flexibility for carers to balance work and care responsibilities.

With the 10-Year Health Plan and the Spending Review on the horizon for the spring, the Government must work with the sector to establish a roadmap for social care reform. Comprehensive and sustainable investment in social care will not only support the NHS but is crucial to achieving long-term improvements in public services, economic growth, and fiscal sustainability.

Getting this right is of paramount importance, not just for those who draw on care and support but for the economy as well; the value of the social care sector to our economy is immense. The adult social care sector is estimated to contribute £68.1 billion to our economy annually.

This report further evidences the need for a more sustainable, effective, and responsive social care system – one capable of quickly meeting the needs of the vulnerable children and adults who rely on it.

We know that the supply of social care staff is not enough to meet the current demand for care and support services and that this demand will continue increasing with our ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic, long-term health and mental health conditions. Immediate and comprehensive reform is needed to improve the pay and working conditions of those working in care and the support available to unpaid carers.

The report reinforces a critical need for a renewed focus on equality in social care. Every individual deserves high-quality support regardless of their background or geographical location. Support is necessary for the sector to drive targeted improvements that bridge gaps in access and outcomes, for those who draw on care and support, as well as their carers.

There are continued delays in processing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications. The system has needed reform for over 10 years. SCIE continues to support improvements across the sector by promoting better training, knowledge-sharing, and person-centred approaches to help those providing care meet their obligations under the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The budget on 30 October is the Government’s opportunity to signal its commitment to the social care sector. SCIE is here to support it to ensure any plans are future-proof, evidence-based, and moulded around the principles of fairness and equity.

The review recognises the need for stronger policy in the areas of improvement and innovation. SCIE has long championed the need for evidence-based approaches to driving improvement in care delivery, focusing on ensuring that individuals receive high-quality care that is accessible to all.

It highlights that current efforts to innovate or improve care services are not operating at the scale needed to meet the challenges facing the sector. SCIE stands ready to help scale efforts and provide comprehensive resources to support providers, commissioners, and policymakers in improving care access and quality.

The review highlights significant issues related to safety issues. Safeguarding vulnerable individuals is at the heart of the social care sector and SCIE’s mission. We look forward to working with Dr Dash as part of her further two reviews on patient safety and quality.

The public needs confidence in the quality of social care services. SCIE commends the review for shedding light on these crucial issues and looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders across the sector to ensure that the necessary improvements are made. The sector needs a stronger, safer, and more innovative social care system.

The social care workforce remains in critical condition. The reprieve brought by the record level of international recruitment has been much needed but ultimately not enough to stabilise the sector, which contributes £68.1 billion annually to our economy.

Domestic recruitment and retention are still at a crisis point, with the number of British workers decreasing by around 70,000 over the last two years and the turnover rate for care workers at 41.1%.

The decrease in the number of personal assistants is a significant concern due to the crucial role they play in providing personalised support. The continued reduction could limit options for those requiring care, resulting in unmet needs. Combined with the wider workforce pressures, it highlights that people who employ personal assistants must not be left behind as part of government reform measures.

With a vacancy rate that is three times that of the wider economy, we urge the Government to take bold, decisive action to tackle the workforce’s short-term and long-term needs. This includes addressing low pay, which remains a significant issue, as well as improved employment contracts, better working conditions, career development and training opportunities.

“The roadmap described in the Skills for Care Workforce Strategy provides a springboard for action. By valuing and rewarding the care workforce, we will ensure a better future for the care system, for both the people who work in it and those who rely on it daily.”

Although focused on the problems facing the NHS, the Darzi Review strengthens the case for acting on social care reform sooner rather than later. The Review lays bare the critical and long-standing issues facing both the NHS and the social care system, from service fragmentation and underfunding to inefficiencies and an ageing population. To resolve the NHS’s long waiting times and improve healthcare outcomes, we need to consider patient pathways across health and social care systems as a whole.

Lord Darzi’s analysis recognises that health and social care cannot function effectively in silos; they are inter-dependent. Enabling people of all ages, not just older people, to live independently, manage long-term conditions and relieve the pressure on finite NHS and emergency services are goals of both systems. Without a coordinated approach, people will continue to face under-met and unmet care needs, and family carers will remain overstretched.

Waiting for government action and investment on social care may prove to be a false economy. Social care must be treated as an equal partner to the NHS, and we must leverage opportunities now for upstream prevention, new models of community care and digital innovation. The NHS 10-year Plan has an important role to play in reimagining both our future national health system and social care.

This is a vital moment for the future of care in the UK—one we cannot afford to miss. We look forward to working closely with government, health and care partners as future plans for the NHS and a National Care System take shape.

The Workforce Strategy sets out a crucial roadmap for how to tackle both the workforce shortage and the skills shortage in social care. Better pay is only one step forward. Taken together, the strategy’s recommendations have the potential to shift the dial in how we value care work.

Not only do we need to grow the workforce to meet the rising demand for social care, but it is imperative that care workers are properly skilled and fully equipped to support people with increasingly complex needs.

Earlier this week, we learned from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services that demand for social care continues to exceed local capacity and resources. The key driver is swifter hospital discharges of people whose complex needs require costlier care packages combining health and social care services. The Workforce Strategy acknowledges this reality and rightly sets out an ambition for care careers, skills development and professional qualifications.

We look forward to working with Skills for Care and sector partners to help deliver the strategy, but political will is also required to tackle the systemic and funding changes required for a truly fair and equitable care system.

With a government heralding workforce reform, now is the time to unlock the potential of the social care sector and create a new reality for the 1.59 million people who work in care.

Today was a recognition of the scale of the task at hand for the new government. Solving social care will not be an easy or quick mission, but positive steps forward were taken in acknowledging the imperative to succeed in realising this mission.

The commitment to fair pay for care workers is a hugely positive step forward in recognising the vital role they play in supporting people in need and for stabilising the social care sector. Care staff must at last be seen for what they are, a pool of highly skilled professionals.

A fair pay agreement will go a long way to tackling the urgent and longstanding workforce crisis, not least by creating greater pay parity with NHS equivalent staff. Pay is a crucial part of making people feel valued and recognised whilst giving them the assurance and security that there is a long-term career in care. But the agreement must be exactly what it says on the tin: fair. More details will be needed to clarify how the policy will be implemented, how it will be funded and who benefits.

The commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act is long overdue and will bring the legislation into the 21st century. Putting more power in the hands of people and placing them at the centre of decisions about their care is vital. With the end in sight, we now need the government to co-produce the next steps with those who draw on care and support to ensure the ambition of improved treatment becomes a reality.

We look forward to working with the government to help deliver on future plans for the social care sector.

This report throws down the gauntlet for the new government by setting out the scale of the task at hand. The message is clear, the social care system is severely overstretched. The combination of budget constraints and rising care complexity from discharged patients means councils are unable to meet their statutory duties. The result is unmet or under-met social care needs, especially for local people recovering from a hospital stay.

For years, the social care sector’s interdependence and value to the NHS has been underappreciated. Now is the moment for change. The Government has an opportunity to flip the script and invest in social care to save the NHS.

Expanding the social care offer through sustained investment in community rehabilitation, reablement and intermediate care will prevent the need for long-term care as well as unplanned hospital admissions. Greater availability of community prevention and early support services allows the care system both to meet growing demand and to support efforts to reduce NHS waiting lists. Getting this investment right will be transformational to the lives of millions of people.

As the new government settles into office and begins to make good on their manifesto commitments, none are more important than securing a sustainable social care system, placing us on an equal footing with the NHS.

The scale and diversity of social care and support is immense with the value of our sector being underscored during the COVID-19 pandemic. This value must now be recognised in action. More people are requesting support, but fewer are getting the help they need. With demand increasing, local authorities do not have the money to meet it and staff numbers are not keeping pace.

We need to empower people with choice, control and independence to lead fulfilling lives. This is what we want for ourselves, our families and loved ones. But we know this does not happen everywhere.

The last Labour Prime Minister recognised that there was ‘no easy solution’ to social care’s problems. We hope that the incoming Government will grasp the nettle and put social care reform at the heart of their ambition. The sector has worked hard to come together, with consensus emerging around ideas that will change lives for the better and build strong local communities.

A social care system fit for the 21st century is in the national interest and the formidable challenges facing the social care sector cannot be a justification for inaction. The cornerstone of future policy change ought to be co-producing solutions with people with lived experience, their families and carers, as well as care providers. Only an inclusive, collaborative approach will improve the efficacy and sustainability of any policy change.

I would like to congratulate Sir Keir on his appointment to the post of Prime Minister and look forward to working with him and his government on shaping Labour’s plans for a National Care Service. We look forward to the King’s Speech which represents a real opportunity for recognition and commitment to the change our sector needs.

This documentary is a powerful tribute to Derek Draper and Kate also bravely throws back the curtain on the reality of caring for a person with complex needs.

Social care can be life-changing, but as Kate showed, the system can also be complicated, challenging to navigate and expensive. Sadly, we know that many families have a similar experience and can struggle to afford or provide the care that their loved ones need.

“Thousands of people, like Kate, take on a caring role for their loved one, either by choice or by need. However, the unrelenting nature of being an unpaid carer, while also juggling a full- or part-time job and raising a family, as many must do, can have a profound effect on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

“We urgently need social care reform to help transform services for the people who need them, including unpaid carers. Pay and working conditions must be addressed if we are going to recruit more social care professionals and retain our workforce, and we must ensure all unpaid carers are recognised and supported to help them continue caring for the ones they love.”

We’re excited about the opportunities offered by the fund, which is uniquely focused on innovation in social care. Whether digital innovation or new ways to deliver support, local people who draw on care and the millions of amazing unpaid carers delivering care around the clock stand to benefit significantly from the fund.

We know that to change the future of social care, greater collaboration and innovation are urgently needed.  It’s great to see the range of projects now emerging from local authorities working in partnership all over the country.

We’re determined to support local leaders to find ways to overcome obstacles to innovation to improve lives.