The Homecare Association welcomes today’s launch of the Casey Commission on adult social care reform as a long-overdue opportunity to tackle the sector’s deep-rooted challenges. It warns urgent action is needed to improve access, equity, safety and quality of care services.
Time is running out to prevent major disruption to people’s care. Many small providers, which comprise over 85% of the total, are struggling to meet PAYÉ bills after the Autumn Budget.
The Association is calling on Baroness Louise Casey and the government to move faster than current timelines suggest, to recognise the seriousness of the issues facing care providers, and to work in true partnership with the sector to drive reform.
This announcement comes just weeks after the Chancellor’s Spring Budget, which the Homecare Association described as a “stark failure to address an escalating crisis in homecare” — with the government ignoring pleas to offset new cost pressures from the Autumn Budget and close a growing £1.8 billion funding gap.
Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, said:
“We welcome the launch of the Casey Commission today, but let’s be clear: parts of the social care sector are on their last legs. This must be the turning point — not another addition to the pile of reports gathering dust on the shelves of Westminster. Ten Prime Ministers over the last 46 years have failed to prepare for an ageing society where a third of us will be over 65. This is now only 20 years away and we are sleepwalking into a humanitarian and economic disaster.”
She added:
“We already know what’s needed. We are not short of policy solutions; we are short of political courage Will this Labour government step up to the plate? We hope so – we need action now.”
The Association’s Minimum Price for Homecare 2025-26 calculates the hourly cost of delivering regulated homecare in England at £32.14 – the minimum needed to meet legal obligations and pay careworkers fairly. Shockingly, only 1% of local authorities currently pay rates that meet even the 2024-25 minimum. One-third are paying fees which do not even cover direct employment costs at the minimum wage in 2025-26, leaving less than nothing to ensure compliance with care regulations.
“We keep hearing slogans from the government like ‘home first’ and ‘fair pay for care workers’,” said Dr Townson.
“You can’t have either without proper funding. The government talks about change, but what we see is the same neglect – only now, with even higher costs. Unless things change fast, providers will be forced to cut care, reduce quality, or shut services altogether.
“We want the Casey Commission to succeed – and we stand ready to support it. But it must be bold. It must be brave. And it must be quick. This is the government’s last chance to get it right.”
The Homecare Association says the Commission must:
- Move faster than the timelines currently set out, with clear milestones from the outset.
- Address the immediate financial instability caused by rising provider costs, worsened by Autumn Budget decisions.
- Work in genuine collaboration with those who draw on care, care workers, and care providers to ensure accessible neighbourhood services that meet people’s needs, enhancing care with technology solutions.
- Drive a shift to outcomes-based commissioning, replacing a system that currently rewards time and volume over quality and impact.
- Recommend investment in fair pay for care workers, underpinned by a fair price for care from public commissioners, with a National Contract for Care Services.
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