Sector Reacts as New Report Warns of Looming Crisis in Adult Social Care
A hard-hitting new report, Adult Social Care Reform: The Cost of Inaction, released on May 5, has sparked a wave of concern across the care sector, warning that government reforms are “doomed to fail” unless ministers urgently confront the true financial and human costs of inaction.
The report, backed by cross-party MPs and leading industry figures, highlights the deepening crisis facing adult social care in the UK—underscoring chronic underfunding, mounting workforce pressures, and the growing strain placed on hospitals and local services.
The findings suggest that unless meaningful investment and long-term strategy are prioritised, the social care system will continue to falter, with far-reaching consequences for the NHS, the wider economy, and vulnerable individuals.
As the implications of the report ripple through the sector, senior voices from care and public health have issued urgent calls for action.
Below, we share a selection of key industry responses to the report’s findings.
Kathryn Smith OBE Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Chief Executive said:
“Whilst the inquiry could not estimate the full cost that we, as a country, are paying for inaction, the case for change is clear.
“This report provides further sobering confirmation of the deep and systemic challenges facing the social care sector. This evidence is clear: inaction is not an option for the people who rely on care and support, unpaid carers, our NHS and the economy.
“When properly resourced and delivered with compassion and expertise, social care is not a burden on the economy—it is a vital investment in people’s lives and communities. High-quality social care transforms lives, enabling people to live with greater independence, dignity and purpose. Social care done well reduces pressure on the NHS, strengthens community ties, and helps people thrive.
“The social care system may be ‘broken’, but it is not beyond repair. The Casey Commission gives us a real opportunity to get off the merry-go-round of reports and commissions, but nothing by way of lasting change. The Casey Commission has the opportunity to transform the social care sector into a robust, equitable, and efficient system.”
Dominic Carter, Carers Trust Director of Policy and Public Affairs said:
“The committee’s report makes clear that the Casey Commission missed an early opportunity to recognise and value unpaid carers and the need to properly support them. Every day we hear how carers – and the vital services trying so hard to support them – are being pushed to the brink. Things have to change and fast.”
“A lack of support for carers comes at a cost to carers and the taxpayer. A failure to properly fund adult social care leaves millions of carers with no choice but to pick up the pieces of a broken system. Carers, of all ages as highlighted by the Committee, deserve better.”
“It is vital now that Government and Commission both listen and act on the findings of this inquiry.”
Director of Policy at The Health Foundation, Hugh Alderwick, said:
“Today (May 5) , MPs have laid bare the high price of continued political inaction on social care. Under the current system, many people go without the care they need, staff pay and conditions are poor, reliance on unpaid carers is high, and people face potentially catastrophic care costs.”
“The report comes as the Casey Commission finally gets underway, almost a year after the government came to power promising social care reform. It is welcome that the Commission is taking a rounded view of social care and how to improve it. But we have been here before. Many of the options for reform are well known, and the Commission should build on the long line of previous proposals on fixing the broken system.”
“Politicians have repeatedly promised social care reform, then ducked or delayed the changes needed. The government’s timeline for the new Commission risks history repeating, with reforms not being implemented and people continuing to suffer.
“Louise Casey’s first act was to meet people with lived experience of the current system, so she will have already heard first hand the urgent need for reform.”
“We encourage her to move as quickly as possible to make recommendations to government and hold ministers to account for taking the action their predecessors have dodged.”
“Delivering lasting change will require political will and investment. Next month’s Spending Review is a chance for government to show their commitment to improving social care by providing a down payment on the long-term investment needed for reform.”
Emily Holzhausen CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said:
“This report could not have come at a better time, at the start of the Casey Commission, providing robust analysis of the gaps that need to be tackled by Government. We hope that the Government will also act on its recommendations swiftly and consider the implications for investing more in social care in the forthcoming Spending Review.”
“Carers UK strongly welcomes the report’s recognition of unpaid carers’ role within the social care system, which our research estimated at £184 billion a year, and the huge impact that it has on them when social care falls short. Its recommendation of a dedicated workstream within the Casey Commission to focus on better support for unpaid carers is timely and necessary.”
“Carers UK has consistently made the case for the economic case for social care, looking at how it supports unpaid carers in the workplace, as well as disabled people. Our research has found that an estimated 600 unpaid carers give up work every day in order to care and two thirds didn’t have a choice about providing unpaid care because no care alternatives were available. As the Select Committee reflected, this impacts strongly on families’ incomes, as well as productivity for employers and employment rates.”
“For carers, change and better support cannot come soon enough. Our research effectively shows a health crisis amongst unpaid carers providing very substantial amounts of care and 1.2 million unpaid carers are in poverty, with 400,000 in deep poverty.”
Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Policy Natasha Curry said:
“Doing nothing on social care is an active choice for governments, but the Committee’s report shows inaction is not sustainable and has severe consequences, not just for people who go without the care they need, but for the unpaid carers who lack support, and for the economy. With social care framed as a positive enabler of independence, quality of life and economic growth, the report strikes a different and welcome tone to so much commentary around social care that frames it as a drain on resources. Our research on social care in other countries such as Japan and Germany stresses that successful reform is possible, but only if social care is given status as a vital part of national infrastructure.”
“Pressures in the system are mounting. Unmet need is high, care worker pay is troublingly low, unpaid carers are inadequately supported, and providers are struggling with costs, particularly following the recent rises to the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions which we estimate will add £2.8bn in additional wage costs in the sector this year. The report also makes clear the consequences of constrained council funding for social care with councils having to reduce other public services. Put simply, the situation is urgent, and reform cannot wait.”
“With the terms of reference for the Casey Commission now set out, there is an opportunity to confront and address inadequacies and dysfunctions in this integral system. The Select Committee echoes messages we have heard from the care sector for years. It urges the government to recognise the vital role that social care, when done well, could play not only in supporting individuals to live the lives they choose but also in supporting the government’s health mission and in fuelling economic growth.”
