Committee urges new Prime Minister to fast-track Casey social care reforms

The Health and Social Care Committee has urged the next Prime Minister to accelerate long-awaited adult social care reform by allowing Baroness Louise Casey to publish the findings of her independent commission before the government's current 2028 timetable.

In a new report, MPs argue there is no justification for delaying proposals until the end of the Parliament, warning that postponing reform until the run-up to the next general election would make it harder to secure the political consensus needed to tackle what they describe as one of the country's most pressing challenges.

The committee is calling on the incoming Prime Minister to make "a clear and unequivocal statement" confirming that Baroness Casey will be free to publish both phases of her report "as soon as they are ready" and to instruct government departments to support implementation without delay.

The intervention follows evidence given to MPs by Baroness Casey and Care Minister Stephen Kinnock on 24 June. Baroness Casey, whose Independent Commission on Adult Social Care was launched in April 2025, told the committee she would be able to report earlier than the government's instruction to publish "by 2028", provided the remaining work, including a planned national conversation on reform, is completed.

Mr Kinnock also revealed he had opposed the timetable agreed by the Treasury and outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, telling MPs: "I will tell you quite clearly that I did not agree with the position that the Chancellor and the Prime Minister took in terms of the timeframe that was given to Louise Casey. It needs to be brought forward."

He warned that delaying publication until closer to the 2029 general election would mean ministers were "going into the 2029 general election with a manifesto pledge rather than having agreement much earlier in this Parliament".

Mr Kinnock argued that the closer proposals came to a general election, the more "politically fraught" the debate would become, making consensus harder to achieve and becoming "self-defeating". He also warned that maintaining the current timetable would prevent adult social care reforms from being considered as part of the next three-year Spending Review, allowing decisions about funding to be deferred.

Among the issues being examined by Baroness Casey's commission is the potential creation of a National Care Service. Mr Kinnock told the committee the government remained "absolutely committed" to that ambition.

The committee's report highlights the mounting pressures facing adult social care, pointing to an ageing population, increasing numbers of people living with dementia and rising demand from adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health needs. It notes that around two million people aged over 65 and a further 1.5 million working-age adults are currently not receiving the care they need, while adult social care continues to consume an increasing share of local authority budgets.

The report also reiterates findings from the committee's previous inquiry into the cost of inaction, which found that 1.5 million unpaid carers face poorer health outcomes and are often forced to reduce their working hours or leave employment altogether to support relatives. It also highlights the continued reliance of many underpaid care workers on in-work benefits.

Committee chair Layla Moran said there was no longer any reason to postpone reform.
"There are no more excuses left to hide behind. The next PM must state loudly and clearly that Baroness Casey will be free to publish her findings as soon as she is ready, and work to reform adult social care will then begin in earnest. This must not be allowed to drag on into 2029 where it will inevitably be consumed in another unedifying game of political football.

"We know there is a huge cost to the country, both economically and in human suffering, to kicking the can down the road and letting political game playing obstruct us from fixing one of the biggest problems this country has faced for nearly two decades."

The committee notes that several organisations, including the Institute for Government, Care England and the Royal College of Nursing, have also warned that the current timetable is too slow, arguing that vulnerable people and an overstretched care sector cannot afford to wait until 2028 for proposals on long-term reform.