Recommendations & Conclusions
12 items
2
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
The Government should publish an annual assessment of the level of unmet care needs for both older adults and working age disabled adults, publishing its methodology and supporting data to ensure transparency and allow for scrutiny. (Recommendation, Paragraph 21)
Government response. The government did not commit to publishing an annual assessment of unmet care needs. Instead, it described existing measures like the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) for measuring outcomes, and ongoing efforts to improve data quality and support local …
Department of Health and Social Care
4
Conclusion
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
There have been multiple failed attempts to advance a version of Dilnot’s reforms, during which time more and more people are faced with unknowable social care costs, and inflation has eroded the value of the upper threshold, meaning fewer people benefit from it. We note the establishment of the Casey …
Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation regarding social care costs or the Casey Commission. Instead, it discussed DWP's use of PAYE data and SIC codes for Universal Credit customers, and its lack of SOC codes.
Department of Health and Social Care
5
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
Given how often this was raised as an issue, we recommend that the Casey Commission considers measures to address the erosion of the upper threshold. In the meantime, we recommend the Government does the same. (Recommendation, Paragraph 29) 53 Unpaid carers: the hidden cost of inaction
Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation to consider the erosion of the social care upper threshold. Instead, it committed to consulting on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process this year, with secondary legislation and the establishment …
Department of Health and Social Care
7
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that the Casey Commission includes a specific workstream dedicated to reducing the pressures on carers, especially young carers. This workstream should consider how to support unpaid carers better, to ensure they get the respite they need and to look after their own health and wellbeing. It should also …
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation but deflects by detailing £9 billion in Better Care Fund funding for 2025-2026, which focuses on prevention and community care, rather than committing to a specific Casey Commission workstream for carers.
Department of Health and Social Care
9
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that securing agreement on the funding structure must be the top priority for the Casey Commission and for any future Government reforms. Without this agreement, reform can only ever be piecemeal and short-term in outlook and, ultimately, will fail. We also recommend that any future funding structure includes …
Government response. The government agrees reform is essential and supports the independent Casey Commission, but states Baroness Casey has autonomy to determine priorities and shape the commission's work, deflecting the recommendation to prioritize funding structure and ring-fence preventative work.
Department of Health and Social Care
10
Conclusion
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
The funding structure for adult social care, rising costs and the inability to make long-term investment, is creating an unstable and unsustainable care market. Providers are making losses, creating inequities by charging more to self-funders or even planning to close entirely. The Government has not properly considered either the immediate …
Government response. The government notes it annually reviews capital limits and social care allowances, but largely defers to the independent Casey Commission, which has a broad remit to examine the long-term transformation of adult social care and make recommendations on the charging …
Department of Health and Social Care
11
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that any future policy changes or fiscal decisions relating to the workforce should be accompanied by a cross-government impact assessment that sets out the immediate and ongoing consequences for the social care sector. As part of this, the Government should set out what mitigating actions they would take …
Government response. The government focuses on actions to support carers, committing to increasing the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from April 2025 and reviewing Carer's Leave and the benefits of introducing paid Carer's Leave, rather than addressing the recommendation for cross-government impact …
Department of Health and Social Care
12
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that the Casey Commission prioritises identifying interventions to create a more sustainable care market. (Recommendation, Paragraph 75)
Government response. The government states that Baroness Casey has full autonomy to determine the commission’s priorities, thereby deflecting the recommendation for her to prioritize sustainable care market interventions, although it also mentions its commitment to local government reforms and the importance of …
Department of Health and Social Care
13
Conclusion
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
Low pay does not adequately recognise the level of skill adult social care workers need to do very difficult physical and emotional work. It is both morally unacceptable, and economically shortsighted, that the current pay regime is pushing some into poverty. Higher wages would achieve better quality care and reduce …
Government response. The government defers to Baroness Casey's full autonomy to determine the independent commission’s priorities, acknowledging her task to make adult social care more productive and preventative, rather than committing to specific actions regarding low pay for care workers.
Department of Health and Social Care
14
Conclusion
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We further welcome plans to establish the Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement and improve career pathways. However, the Government needs to set out how these measures will be funded, as providers and local government cannot afford to fund them. (Conclusion, Paragraph 86)
Government response. The government states that the independent Casey Commission has the autonomy to decide how best to examine models of care and funding flows needed for a sustainable system, thereby deflecting the request to set out funding details for the Adult …
Department of Health and Social Care
15
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions explores collecting occupational data for benefit claimants, to better understand the cost to the Exchequer of low pay for care workers and to support the case for better pay. (Recommendation, Paragraph 87)
Government response. The government defers to the independent Casey Commission's autonomy to recommend steps for supporting the adult social care sector, implying it will not directly act on the recommendation for DWP to collect occupational data on benefit claimants for care workers.
Department of Health and Social Care
18
Recommendation
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: …
Deferred
We recommend that the Department provides an official estimate of how much delayed discharges are costing the NHS, broken down by the reason for the delay and including costs associated with the beds themselves, staff time and wider activity that cannot happen as a result of a delayed discharge. This …
Government response. The government agrees that publishing cost estimates would improve transparency but notes methodological challenges. It commits to exploring how best to publish cost data rather than directly providing an official, annually updated estimate broken down by delay reason, effectively deferring …
Department of Health and Social Care