Public Panel Launched on Social Care Reform

Members of the public across England are being invited to play a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care, as Baroness Louise Casey’s Independent Commission on Adult Social Care launches its Public Panel on Care.

The initiative forms part of the Commission’s wider Big Conversation on Care, and marks a significant step in efforts to build a lasting consensus on how the sector should be reformed.

Since Monday 21 September, thousands of households across England have been receiving letters inviting residents aged 18 and over to register their interest in joining the Panel. Letters are being sent at random to addresses across the country, and anyone aged 18 or over living at an invited address is eligible to register. To ensure a broad spread of views, no more than one person will be selected from any single household.

Around 125 people will ultimately be chosen to sit on the Panel, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and communities to reflect the diversity of England as a whole.

Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, the Panel will bring together differing perspectives and experiences to examine the issues at the heart of adult social care reform. Participants will be asked to weigh up difficult trade-offs and work collaboratively to find common ground on some of the most fundamental questions facing the sector: What is care? Who should receive it? And who should pay for it?

Crucially, no prior experience or knowledge of adult social care is required to take part, with organisers keen to hear from as broad a cross-section of the public as possible.

The Public Panel will convene in person over several weekends between November 2026 and April 2027, with sessions held in Birmingham and London, alongside additional shorter sessions held online.

Anyone who receives an invitation letter is encouraged to register their interest by Sunday 11 October, using the details provided in their letter.

The launch of the Public Panel represents a landmark opportunity for ordinary members of the public to have a genuine say in the future direction of adult social care – a sector that touches the lives of millions of families across the UK, including the many residents, families and staff connected to care homes throughout England.