Recommendation 19

Stakeholders have called for adult social care reform for years, and we commend the Government for introducing many welcome initiatives such as around housing and data that could make a significant difference in the long-term. We are also pleased that many stakeholders welcome the Government’s vision for what good care looks like and how care is experienced by those receiving care and their families. However, the Government currently has nothing more than a vision. We are alarmed that so much of the detail within the People at the Heart of Care White Paper has yet to be worked out, and that there is no roadmap, no timetable, no milestones, and no measures of success. We note that the Health and Social Care Committee has called for a 10-year plan for adult social care in three separate reports since October 2020. The Government should publish a 10-year plan for how its vision in the People at the Heart of Care White Paper will be achieved, taking into account how the different policies interweave and affect one another. The plan should be co- produced with people with lived experience of receiving care and providing care, paid and unpaid. The Government should manage this set of reforms, alongside charging reforms, as a programme, and identify a Senior Responsible Officer. It should publish key milestones, a timetable, and measures of success, and report annually on progress to Parliament.