“Social Care Needs Funding, Not Fixing” as Burnham Urged to Act on Reform
The National Care Association (NCA) has renewed its call for urgent, funded reform of adult social care, warning that repeated commitments from politicians – including new Prime Minister Andy Burnham – will count for little unless backed by genuine investment.
The intervention comes in response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s second report on the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, published on 3rd July, and follows a letter from the Secretary of State to the NCA on the same date. The Committee had called on the Government to publish full reform proposals before 2028, rather than delaying action until after the next General Election.
Nadra Ahmed CBE, Executive Co-Chairman of the National Care Association, said the report confirmed what providers had been warning for decades.
“Adult social care remains under unsustainable pressure,” she said. “We welcome the report and its call for the Government to publish full proposals for reform before 2028, rather than delaying action until after the next General Election.”
According to the Committee’s findings, two million people over the age of 65 and 1.5 million working-age adults are currently going without the care they need. Care workers remain among the lowest paid in the economy, and are twice as likely as the wider workforce to claim benefits, while 1.5 million unpaid carers continue to fill gaps in provision at significant personal cost.
Ms Ahmed argued there was “no reason to delay reform,” noting that Baroness Casey has indicated her review of adult social care could report earlier than the original 2028 target, a timeline the Minister of State for Care has accepted. The NCA is calling for reform to be delivered within this Parliament and underpinned by a funded settlement in the 2027 Spending Review.
Concerns Over Fair Pay Agreement Funding
The statement raised particular concern over the Government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement, describing the £500 million allocated as insufficient for a workforce of 1.6 million people.
“It will not deliver pay comparable with NHS Band 3 or maintain the pay differentials needed to reward skills, experience and responsibility,” Ms Ahmed said. “Without adequate funding, it will do little to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis.”
The sector continues to face more than 120,000 vacancies, alongside a shrinking domestic workforce and tighter restrictions on international recruitment. The NCA warned that reducing access to overseas workers before pay and domestic recruitment issues are resolved risks “making an already difficult situation worse,” and argued that investment through the commissioning process remains the most effective route to a stable workforce.
“It Does Not Need Fixing”
Ms Ahmed was firm in her assessment of the sector’s resilience despite years of financial strain.
“Social care does not need fixing – it has continued to innovate and deliver despite years of financial pressure,” she said. “What it needs is sustainable funding and recognition as a public service with parity of esteem alongside the NHS.”
The NCA represents small and medium-sized independent providers, who deliver more than 80% of registered adult social care in England across care homes, home care, and learning disability and mental health services. Ms Ahmed insisted these providers “must be genuine partners in designing reform.”
A Message to the New Prime Minister
The statement closed with a direct appeal to Andy Burnham, who has spoken publicly on social care reform on numerous occasions over the years, from proposing a National Health & Care Service in 2016 to describing social care reform as a “top priority” in 2025.
“In welcoming Andy Burnham, we strongly urge the new Prime Minister to bring forward reform during this Parliament, provide the investment the sector needs, and work with providers to build a sustainable social care system,” Ms Ahmed said. “Our members stand ready to help turn that ambition into reality.”
The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon James Murray MP, gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee on the work of the Department on Wednesday 8th July 2026.
