29 July 2026
Long-awaited plans to reform England’s broken social care system have been brought forward after the Prime Minister announced a faster timetable for creating a National Care Service.
Speaking at a care home today, the Prime Minister announced that Baroness Louise Casey’s independent review into adult social care will now report next summer, a year earlier than planned. He also launched cross-party talks on social care, announced a renewed focus on improving pay, training and career progression for care workers, and confirmed a nationwide “Big Conversation on Care” to help shape the reforms.
The announcement was welcomed by Luke Myer MP, who has consistently called for a National Care Service, arguing that social care needed the same bold, long-term vision that Labour had to create the NHS in 1945.
Drawing on his experience as Redcar & Cleveland’s former Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, he has argued that social care must be properly funded, care workers fairly rewarded, and reform built on cross-party consensus so it can endure for generations.
The reforms are also intended to help the NHS by reducing delayed hospital discharges, strengthening community care and supporting more people to live independently at home for longer. The Government says the National Care Service will be built around prevention, closer integration with the NHS, and consistent standards of care across the country.
Luke Myer MP said:
“For far too long, governments of all colours have recognised that social care is broken but struggled to find a lasting solution. That has left older people, disabled people, unpaid carers and the incredible care workforce carrying an impossible burden.
“I have supported a National Care Service for many years because everyone deserves dignity and security when they need care, wherever they live. Care workers deserve better pay, better training and greater recognition for the vital work they do every single day.
“I’m pleased to see the Government bringing this work forward, opening it up to the public and reaching across party lines. If we’re going to build something as important and enduring as a National Care Service, it has to command broad support and put people before politics.
“I’ll continue working to make sure people in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland have their voices heard as these reforms are developed.”