Senior Liberal Democrats have expressed concern that the Labour Government has finally done something about social care, but that Louise Casey’s review will not report until 2028. This has all the hallmarks of this crucial issue being kicked into the long grass, with potential for it to be lost in even deeper foliage beyond then.

Ed Davey told LBC that he was sceptical on the timing. He says that we should have cross party talks, but we have all the information we need so that they should be completed within a year.

‘I absolutely welcome this proposal…’

‘But I am sceptical because of the timing’, says @EdwardJDavey, on Labour’s social care plan, explaining to @ShelaghFogarty that he doesn’t ‘think we need to wait until 2028’. pic.twitter.com/DHq7AastJj

— LBC (@LBC) January 3, 2025

He told Channel 4 News that this process should be done within the year. If we do sort out social care, it brings huge benefits to families and savings to the NHS.  Without proper care, people end up in hospital unnecessarily and that is a huge cost to the NHS.

He also pointed out that we need to value care workers, with a higher minimum wage.

He also called for greater support for family carers.

We won’t, he said, solve the wider crisis in the NHS without resolving social care, which is why a faster timescale is essential.

Layla Moran, as Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Health and Social Care, said:

This announcement from the Government on a commission to look at social care is welcome, however this cannot be an exercise in kicking the can down the road. We urge bravery and courage from the Government and all political parties to work together to act boldly and urgently.

We are concerned that any further delay perpetuates the hardship for individuals and their families, as well as the cost to the NHS and local authorities.

The first inquiry our Committee launched is investigating the costs resulting from delays to reform of the social care sector. In the first evidence session of this inquiry next week we will hear from experts on the subject, including Sir Andrew Dilnot and we will ask what impact inaction has had, fourteen years on from the Dilnot Commission’s recommendations to reform social care.

Our 2024 manifesto outlined our plans for social care in England. We will:

Provide truly personalised care that empowers individuals by:

Trialling personal health and social care budgets so that individuals are in control of what care they receive.
Rolling out digital platforms for care users to develop networks, relationships and opportunities, connecting with care workers, friends and family, voluntary groups and more.
Improving communication standards so carers can support care users to co-produce and monitor care plans.
Developing a digital strategy for tech-enabled lives.
Establishing an Independent Living Taskforce to help people live independently in their own homes, as set out in chapter 10.

End the postcode lottery of service provision and provide national, high-quality care for everyone who needs it by:
Providing predictable, consistent funding for free personal care.
Increasing transparency and accountability as to how money is spent through local authorities.
Creating a National Care Agency to set national minimum standards of care.
Enabling individuals to transfer their care package so they don’t feel stuck in their current locality due to their care needs.

Give unpaid carers a fair deal by:
Increasing Carer’s Allowance and expanding eligibility for it, as set out in chapter 10.
Introducing a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks for unpaid carers.
Introducing paid carer’s leave, building on the entitlement to unpaid leave secured by the Liberal Democrats.
Making caring a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and requiring employers to make reasonable adjustments to enable employees with caring responsibilities to provide that care.
Introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium as part of an ‘Education Guarantee’ for young carers.

Make careers in social care more attractive and value experienced staff to improve retention by:
Creating a new Carer’s Minimum Wage, boosting the minimum wage for care workers by £2 an hour, as a starting point for improved pay across the sector.
Creating clear career pathways, linked to recommended pay scales, which put an end to the undervaluing of skills in the sector.
Creating a career ladder to allow flexibility to work across the NHS and social care, allowing staff to gain experience in both.
Creating a Royal College of Care Workers to represent this skilled workforce.
Expanding the NHS Digital Staff Passport to include the care sector.

Recruit more staff to the sector with a social care workforce plan, akin to the NHS England workforce plan, that includes ethical international recruitment.

Support people to age well by:
Establishing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing.
Rolling out active ageing programmes and trips and falls assessments for everyone over the age of 75 to prevent falls, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and promote healthy ageing.
Opening fracture liaison services so that osteoporosis patients can get the treatment they need and prevent long-term issues and costs.

Support children in kinship care and their family carers by:
Introducing a statutory definition of kinship care.
Building on the existing pilot to develop a weekly allowance for all kinship carers.

Make care experience a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen the rights of people who are in or have been in care.

Refresh the national strategy for loneliness collaboratively with service providers and people who have lived experience of loneliness, to be overseen by a dedicated Minister for Tackling Loneliness.