Louise Casey Criticises England's Social Care System as Fragmented and Leaderless

Baroness Louise Casey has warned that adult social care in England is fundamentally fragmented, leaving no one clearly in charge after successive governments neglected the sector. Drawing on research by the Nuffield Trust and the Institute for Government, she endorsed findings from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that exposed grave pandemic failures and urged ministers to establish a new care settlement.

• Baroness Louise Casey warned that adult social care in England operates as a chaotic, fragmented patchwork with no single point of leadership or clear stewardship.· 2 sources
• A study by the Nuffield Trust and the Institute for Government highlighted opaque decision-making across arm's-length bodies and thousands of private providers, alongside an absence of a mandatory care worker register in England.· 2 sources
• Casey backed the UK Covid-19 Inquiry's findings, describing the sector's neglect and the high death toll in care homes during the pandemic as a national shame.· 2 sources
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham accelerated Casey's review to report next summer, intending to incorporate proposals for a national care service into the next election manifesto.· 2 sources