LONDON, 3rd January 2025 – Britain’s latest attempt to address the mounting costs of social care for older and disabled adults will not materialise until at least 2028, according to the government’s announcement on Friday. In the interim, a three-year independent review will be conducted to devise proposals for the sector.

The newly elected Labour government, which took office in July, reaffirmed its commitment to creating a “National Care Service” to better support vulnerable individuals and integrate social care more effectively with the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting stated that Louise Casey, a former senior civil servant renowned for leading high-profile reviews, has been appointed to chair a commission tasked with determining how social care should be both organised and funded.

Despite numerous inquiries, reports, and policy papers regarding social care reform over the years, successive governments have struggled to implement lasting solutions or reach a consensus on sustainable funding.

One of the most notable past attempts was made by former Prime Minister Theresa May, who, during the 2017 general election campaign, proposed that individuals who could afford it should pay a larger share of the costs of care. However, this plan, often referred to as the “dementia tax” by critics, was abandoned after significant political backlash, resulting in May’s poll lead collapsing and her loss of the governing majority in the election.

The new commission, which will be open to contributions from opposition parties, is expected to identify critical issues within the social care system by mid-2026. Its long-term recommendations will be outlined by 2028, as the government has stated.

Streeting highlighted that work had already commenced to stabilise the sector, which, as reported by lawmakers in September, suffers from chronic underfunding, severe staffing shortages, and growing waiting lists. However, with an ageing population and the cost of care set to double over the next two decades, he emphasised that more comprehensive, long-term measures are necessary.

“The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century,” Streeting said. “We are appointing one of our country’s leading public service reformers, and Whitehall’s greatest ‘do-er’, to finally grasp the nettle on social care reform.”

The government’s ambitious plans have been met with cautious optimism, but it remains to be seen whether this latest initiative will result in the lasting changes that the sector so desperately requires.