Faced with an ageing population and increasing demand for complex care, adult social care is under mounting demographic pressure. Yet despite repeated pledges of long-term reform, meaningful change has failed to materialise. The sector is left stranded between rising expectations and limited power to meet them.
The Spring Statement, which announced an additional £4 billion would be available to the sector in 2028/29, was welcomed by some, but raised as many questions as it answered.
In this context, we brought together a diverse group of voices from across the care sector, including leading residential and home care organisations and representatives from regional care associations - to take stock of where things really stand and how they can be fixed.
Attendees came together to converse with Rt Hon Ed Argar MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, for an open discussion about the past, present and future of adult social care. The session was intended as a listening exercise for Mr Argar, providing frontline perspectives to help inform the Conservative Party’s approach to social care policy in opposition.
The conversation was frank, practical, and deeply rooted in lived experience. Participants spoke of persistent barriers to partnership, the structural imbalance between health and social care, and the creativity that continues to flourish despite it. They challenged assumptions about funding, voiced concerns over sustainability, and offered grounded ideas for what needs to happen next - from commissioning to careers, local collaboration to national policy.
This write-up captures the key themes that emerged from our discussion.
