Open petition: Abolish the Casey Commission into adult social care
Created by Dennis Reed
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We believe the Casey Commission is a barrier to desperately needed social care reform, a delaying mechanism and a waste of taxpayer’s money. We want the Government to abolish the commission and instead focus on resolving the social care crisis, preferably on a cross-party basis.
Social care is in crisis. It is estimated that around 2 million people over 65 are not getting the support they need and estimates of around 11% of hospital beds filled with people ready for discharge. We feel the Commission was never needed, as there have been at least 25 other inquiries since 1997, with multiple public consultations. We feel all the options for reform and funding options are already in the public domain. The Government should abolish the Commission and act now.
10,901 signatures
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Government responded to this petition
The Government will not abolish the Casey Commission. Social care needs long-term reform that people agree on. The Commission is building that consensus while the Government makes improvements now.
Read the response in full
Adult social care needs deep reform. There have been plenty of good ideas and attempts over the years from political parties of all colours to try and solve the complex and deep-rooted issues that exist. However, despite numerous inquiries, consultations and reform efforts, the fundamental issue of social care has been considered ‘too difficult’ for far too long. Care of our most vulnerable is too important, and with ever increasing demand for adult social care services, we cannot afford to allow this to happen any longer.
That is why the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, which is independent of the Government and chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, is so vital. It is building national and political consensus by working with people who draw on care and their families, staff, political parties, parliamentarians, local government and the public, private and third sectors, so that it can recommend a long-term vision for a national care service that transforms adult social care and works for everyone for decades to come. The Prime Minister’s request of Baroness Casey to facilitate a national conversation and political consensus on the future of reform sets it apart from inquiries and consultations previously delivered.
The Commission has already made significant progress. Baroness Casey and her secretariat have carried out extensive engagement to gain a deep understanding of social care and hear from those with first-hand experience of the system, speaking with over 400 people and organisations from across the country. Baroness Casey has also held the first cross-party engagement on adult social care reform, setting us on the path to achieve political consensus for long-term reform.
The Commission is not a barrier to reform and is instead helping to drive reform. Baroness Casey has made clear that she will not wait to recommend action where she sees fit, which is why on 5 March she called for immediate action on three important areas: safeguarding, dementia, and motor neurone disease. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has set out how the Government will take these actions forward, and the Department for Health and Social Care is already working at pace to deliver them.
Later this year, the Commission will launch its national conversation to build public consensus on the future of social care, and its first report will be published, setting out recommended reforms to address immediate priorities for adult social care.
Alongside the Commission’s work, the Government is already taking action to improve people’s experience of care and support now, with over £4.6 billion of additional funding to be made available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
We are enabling people to have more choice and control over their care by supporting independence, including through record investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant. This year, £723 million is being invested to help older and disabled people live independently in their own homes for longer. We are also setting new national standards for care technologies and producing trusted guidance, so that people can confidently buy and use technology which supports them or the people they care for.
We are joining up social care with health and wider services by developing neighbourhood health services, so people experience coordinated, person-centred care that enables timely discharge from hospital. Alongside this, we are driving forward action to ensure that social care providers are fully digitised by the end of this Parliament, improving the safety and effectiveness of care and helping care professionals work more seamlessly alongside other health professionals. Our Digitising Social Care Programme has supported 83% of Care Quality Commission-registered care providers to use digital social care records, saving 30 million hours per year to reinvest in better care.
And we are improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting the workforce, including by legislating for the first ever Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement – backed by £500 million of new investment – and expanding career opportunities through the Care Workforce Pathway. We are also strengthening how we assure the quality of social care delivered by local authorities. Since 2023, the Care Quality Commission has been assessing how well local authorities are meeting their Care Act duties – and, ultimately, the needs of local people – with reports for over 100 published and all 153 due later this summer. Where shortcomings are identified, the Department of Health and Social Care is taking action, providing intensive support to drive improvement.
Together, these reforms are laying the foundations for a national care service, improving people’s experience of care and support today whilst setting the direction for lasting, system wide change informed by the Commission.
Department of Health and Social Care
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This petition will stay open until 13 September 2026.