Public invited to help shape England’s future care system

England has launched a nationwide conversation about how adult social care should work, as the government seeks cross-party agreement on long-delayed reform.

The Big Conversation on Care will allow people receiving support, unpaid carers, families, workers and other members of the public to share the principles they believe should underpin the system. Their contributions will inform the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, led by Baroness Louise Casey, which is developing recommendations for a National Care Service.

Social care affects millions of people, yet families can face unpredictable costs, carers often struggle without enough support and pressure on services can spill into the NHS. Bringing lived experience into the process could help ensure reforms reflect what people actually need rather than being designed solely within Westminster.

The launch is only the beginning. Previous reviews have repeatedly failed to produce lasting reform, and difficult questions about funding remain unresolved. However, public participation and an attempt to build political consensus offer a credible route towards decisions that successive governments have avoided.