Baroness Casey on a Reformed Social Care System: Summit 2026 Session

Why It Matters

The speech signals momentum toward a major policy push to overhaul social care, with potential fiscal, staffing and service-design implications for government, health providers and families. A successful commission could reshape long-term funding, integration with the NHS, and the care workforce at a time demographic pressures make reform urgent.

Summary

Baroness Louise Casey, chairing an independent commission on adult social care, told Summit 2026 she and her team have spent the past year visiting communities and gathering lived experience as they prepare recommendations for systemic reform. She framed the challenge as a long-neglected “sixth giant” beyond Beveridge’s 1948 social programme: an ageing, sicker population and rising disability have exposed a patchwork, inconsistent social care system propped up by ad hoc fixes. Casey reviewed decades of failed reviews and policy attempts, arguing the UK needs a fresh national reckoning and international comparators to design a coherent, sustainable model. Her commission aims to convert widespread consensus about the problem into a clear, implementable plan for a reformed social care system.

Original Description

With growing pressures from an ageing population and chronic workforce shortages, social care reform is urgent and complex. This session explores what a reformed care system could and should look like, and the changes required to deliver sustainable, high-quality care for the future. Baroness Louise Casey, Chair of the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care, shares insights from the Commission’s work, why it’s so vital, and outlines priorities for meaningful reform. The session concludes with an audience Q&A, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers, reflect on the proposals presented, and discuss what reform means in practice.