London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Social care needs urgent transformation, PM told

Social care needs urgent transformation, PM told

Care home providers, health experts and politicians are calling on the prime minister to transform care for older and disabled people - with reforms comparable to the founding of the NHS.

A letter says the sector is on its knees following the Covid pandemic.

It calls for social care to have "its 1948 moment" to establish a "long-term and sustainable future" for the sector.

Boris Johnson has pledged to unveil the government's long-awaited social care plan later this year.

He has previously accepted that coronavirus has "highlighted the difficulties" in the sector.

Care England, a membership body for care providers, and the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, were among those to make the call in a letter to Mr Johnson.

Its 26 signatories wrote: "Successive governments have promised social care reform, but have not delivered and now the situation is desperate.

"Social care needs its 1948 moment to establish a long-term and sustainable future, that will be to the benefit of all citizens and the economy."

They noted that the sector was "on its knees" and "in desperate need of reform" after more than a year on the front line of the crisis.

They argued the current system leaves "many families struggling to survive" when one member needs social care, with thousands of people every year facing losing their home and family assets to fund care.

The letter's signatories have called for Mr Johnson to set out his reforms in the Queen's Speech, which is due to be held on 11 May.

Last month, Mr Johnson told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee it was "highly likely" that social care would get a mention at the event.

The letter was also signed by Age UK, social care provider UKHCA, and carers UK, as well as Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and members of the House of Lords.

'Decency'


Lord Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation, has urged the government "to set out a clear timetable which details how reform of the sector can be delivered", saying this should be supported by "a long-term financial settlement".

"A well-funded and good quality social care sector is vital to a healthy nation and a strong and well-performing NHS," he added.

Meanwhile, Age UK's charity director Caroline Abrahams said: "Unless the government invests a lot more public money in care services now, the numbers of older people going without the help they need will simply spiral and more and more families will hit breaking point."

She has described the pandemic as "an object lesson in what happens if you starve care services of money and staff for year after year", saying "many thousands of older people died before their time".

"Nothing will bring those people back but the least we can do now is to restore services to a level of decency and give the staff on whom social care depends a proper career structure and the terms and conditions they deserve," she said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×