Casey accuses successive governments of neglecting social care

Baroness Louise Casey has accused successive UK governments of neglecting adult social care, as a commission she leads prepares recommendations for reform in England. New research published by the commission says England lacks a clear system for overseeing the sector and that people’s access to support can vary according to where they live.

Casey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that care for older people and adults with disabilities had developed in a largely uncontrolled and unintended way, unlike the NHS, which was deliberately established in 1948. “Successive governments have been asleep at the wheel. We’ve got our heads in the sand,” she said.

The commission’s research says people with the same condition can face different assessment processes, waiting times and levels of support in different parts of England. It also found that people who pay for their own care are charged an average of 40% more than councils pay for care they arrange.

Casey said the sector was not valued enough. She also criticised the Care Quality Commission, describing it as a “spectator at the site of a car crash”, and said the Covid inquiry’s findings on social care were “a national shame”. The inquiry’s report last month said care had appeared “something of an afterthought” during the pandemic’s early stages.

The commission’s final recommendations for services for older people and adults with disabilities are due next summer. Casey said she would address a conference of social care leaders on Wednesday.