Care Workers’ Charity urges next Prime Minister to act now on social care reform
The Care Workers’ Charity has called on the next Labour leader and Prime Minister to act quickly on adult social care reform, warning that care workers cannot wait until 2028 for meaningful change.
The charity said it is ready to work with whoever is elected as the next leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister to carry forward commitments already made on adult social care, including the first Fair Pay Agreement, the £500 million pledged to support it, and ongoing work on Delegated Healthcare Activities.
It thanked Sir Keir Starmer for his service as Prime Minister and said his government had laid important foundations for reform. However, the charity stressed that the work remains far from finished and must now move from framework to delivery.
The Care Workers’ Charity said adult social care should not be seen as a sectoral issue, but as something that every person in the country is likely to rely on at some point, whether for themselves, a parent, a partner or a child.
It said the Fair Pay Agreement has the potential to support a more unified sector, improve conditions for the workforce and raise the quality of care for people who draw on support. However, the charity warned that this must be backed by legislation, sustained government funding and faster implementation.
The agreement is not currently due to come into effect until 2028, and the charity said care workers need action before then.
The charity is also urging the next Prime Minister to act on the recommendations emerging from Baroness Casey’s Commission on adult social care, rather than waiting for the Commission’s final report.
It said the case for change has already been made, pointing to its 2025 Wellbeing Survey, which gathered responses from more than 2,000 care workers. The survey found that 72 per cent of respondents did not feel financially secure, while nearly 29 per cent had used a food bank in the past year.
The Care Workers’ Charity said these figures reflect the lived reality of the people delivering care every day and underline the need for urgent reform.
It also stressed that care workers must be treated as skilled professionals and active contributors to reform. The charity said those delivering care understand the gaps in the system first-hand and should help shape the decisions that affect the future of social care.
Karolina Gerlich, Chief Executive of The Care Workers’ Charity, said: “We are looking forward to working with the next Prime Minister upon their appointment.
“Care workers have heard ambition before, and they have welcomed it. What they need now is delivery, and the political consistency to see it through.
“The Fair Pay Agreement, the funding behind it and the work on Delegated Healthcare Activities are the foundations to build on, not the finish line.
“We ask the next leader to act on the recommendations coming out of Baroness Casey’s Commission now, not in 2028, and to bring the Fair Pay Agreement forward so that care workers feel the difference.
“We invite the successful candidate to meet us and to hear directly from care workers through our Advisory Board, so that the reform that comes next is built with them, not around them.”
The Care Workers’ Charity is calling on the next leader to name adult social care as a first-order national priority, with implementation plans set out within the first 100 days of taking office.
It is also calling for the next government to act on recommendations emerging from Baroness Casey’s Commission in parallel with, and not dependent on, the final report.
The charity wants the Fair Pay Agreement brought forward, supported by legislation and sustained funding, alongside interim support for pay and conditions ahead of 2028.
It is also calling for reform to be co-produced with care workers themselves, including through bodies such as the Care Worker Advisory Board.
The Care Workers’ Charity recently welcomed the publication of the latest edition of Community Integrated Care’s ‘Unfair to Care’ report, which highlights the inequalities affecting the adult social care workforce and the mounting pressures facing the sector.
