PM Sets Out Plan to Fix Social Care. National Care Service Commission Brought Forward to 2027

Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out on 29 July 2026 a new government approach to reforming England's social care system, describing it as a problem successive governments have "passed back and forth" without resolution. Speaking at a care home, Burnham committed to bringing cross party political will to bear, accelerating the existing commission on social care and launching a national public consultation.

The centrepiece of the announcement is an acceleration of Baroness Casey's independent commission on social care. It had been due to report back in 2028, that deadline has now been brought forward to summer 2027. Alongside this, Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper will chair a new ministerial group to track progress on workforce, system reform, and implementation of the commission's early recommendations.

Social care in England supports older people and disabled adults who need help with daily living whether at home, in supported housing, or in residential care. It is largely funded and commissioned by local authorities, and has faced sustained financial pressure for well over a decade.

The government cited several figures to set out the scale of the challenge:

• A&E attendances by over 65s: Increased from 3.3 million in 2011/12 to 5.8 million in 2024/25, with social care funding cuts estimated to have contributed around half a million additional A&E visits per year for that age group
• Hospital discharge delays: Thousands of people remain in hospital beds after being medically fit to leave, partly because adequate social care or home support is unavailable
• Corridor care: Reduced hospital capacity caused by discharge delays has contributed to patients receiving care in corridors and non-clinical spaces
• Unpaid carers: Millions of family members and unpaid carers absorb significant care responsibilities, often without adequate formal support
• Funding cuts: The government referenced cuts to social care funding between 2010 and 2018 as a contributing factor to the current pressures on NHS emergency services

The Prime Minister was explicit about the workforce dimension of reform:

Baroness Casey has launched a public consultation called the Big Conversation on Care, running alongside her commission's work. It is open to anyone via an online platform and asks people to share their views on the values and principles they expect from a care system, as well as harder questions about fairness and how it should be funded.

The Big Conversation is intended to feed directly into the commission's final plan.

The Prime Minister has written to the leaders of the two main opposition parties, the Conservative Party and Reform UK to begin cross party discussions on social care. Burnham framed this as a deliberate break from what he described as decades of political point scoring on the issue.

• Invitation to opposition leaders: Formal invitations have been extended to begin a new discussion on cross party cooperation on social care
• Rationale: The government argues that lasting reform requires solutions that command broad political support and public backing
• No details on format: The announcement did not specify what form these discussions would take or whether any opposition party had responded
• Historical context: Social care funding has been politically contentious for decades, including being a major issue in the 2017 and 2019 general election campaigns
• Commission remit: Baroness Casey's commission is tasked with producing proposals that are "deliverable, realistic and designed in the interests of those they are there to serve"

The Prime Minister set out four broad principles that will underpin the government's plans for a National Care Service. These are not detailed policy commitments they are directional statements that will guide the commission's work and subsequent legislation.

The four principles announced on 29 July 2026 are:

The government confirmed it will appoint a Dementia Tsar later this summer. The role is intended to drive improvements in dementia diagnosis, care, and support, and will sit within the broader social care and NHS reform programme. No candidate was named in the announcement.

• Purpose: To bring focused leadership to improving care and outcomes for the estimated 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK
• Timeline: Appointment expected before the end of summer 2026
• Reporting line: The Dementia Tsar will operate within the framework being set up under Yvette Cooper's new ministerial group
• No candidate named: The government has not announced who will be appointed to the role
• Scope: The role is described as helping "drive forward much needed improvements" in dementia care, specific powers and accountability mechanisms were not detailed

England has been attempting to reform social care for more than two decades. The Dilnot Commission reported in 2011 and recommended a cap on individual care costs. That cap was legislated for in the Care Act 2014 but delayed repeatedly, and eventually abandoned by the previous government in 2023. Baroness Casey's commission is the latest in a series of formal reviews of the system.

Recent History of Social Care Reform Attempts

The key points of the recent policy history are:

The government's stated difference is the combination of a public consultation, an accelerated independent commission with cross party backing, and a commitment to build workforce reform and NHS integration in parallel rather than treating social care as a standalone funding problem.

• Accelerated timeline: Bringing the commission forward a year creates political pressure to act before the next general election cycle
• Workforce first framing: Previous reform efforts focused primarily on funding, this announcement leads with workforce and integration
• Public engagement: The Big Conversation is intended to build legitimacy for difficult funding decisions though it is advisory, not binding
• Ministerial oversight: A dedicated ministerial group chaired by the Health Secretary gives the reform programme a clearer accountability structure than previous attempts
• Commitment to cross party talks: Inviting opposition leaders is a visible signal of intent, though whether it leads to genuine consensus remains to be seen

The 29 July announcement is a statement of political direction rather than a detailed policy blueprint. It accelerates the timeline for reform, builds in public and cross party consultation, and frames workforce integration with the NHS as a priority. The hard questions, how much social care will cost, who will pay, and how eligibility will be defined, remain for Baroness Casey's commission to work through.

What has changed is the pace and the framing. Bringing the commission deadline forward by a year is a meaningful signal that the government intends to legislate within this parliament. The appointment of a Dementia Tsar and the creation of a ministerial oversight group suggest a more structured delivery architecture than previous reform attempts managed.

Whether cross party talks produce meaningful consensus or whether social care again becomes a dividing line at the next election will depend on what the commission recommends and whether the government is willing to accept the funding implications of those recommendations.