1st October 2026
“The Prime Minister has now put social care reform at the centre of his programme, with a National Care Service and a proposed change to the pension triple lock from 2030 as part of the funding settlement. We welcome this renewed focus.
“Care and support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people must not be overlooked within the National Care Service. The discussion must not become almost entirely focused on older people’s care, care homes, and who pays. A National Care Service must work equally well for working-age disabled people who may need to draw on support throughout their lives.
“The PM is right to celebrate the skilled work of care and support workers. And we know that a National Care Service cannot succeed without a properly valued workforce which is paid at a level equivalent to comparable NHS roles. Care and support needs to be an attractive career. In the short term, the government needs to ensure that the Fair Pay Agreement is properly funded as well as being ringfenced within local government budgets and passed on directly to providers.
“A National Care Service is an opportunity to reform commissioning around the life a person wants to lead – rather than hours, tasks, or lowest cost. It should support long-term partnerships with responsible providers, focused on outcomes and sustainable funding. Ultimately, it must be about more than who pays – it must change the way care and support is valued, commissioned, and delivered.”