Casey's review of adult social care offers hope | Letters

"The national care service will fail unless ministers stabilise the local systems that underpin it. Key Cities has long been calling for an urgent funding reset for the social care system. And while the Casey commission's reforms are welcome, what's still missing is the transition plan to enable councils to make this happen."

"A key part of the government's NHS 10year plan must be a significant expansion of joint commissioning, across regional and national scales. This collaboration will finally end the costly pushpull between those who fund and those who deliver care and, vitally, lay the foundations for effective transformation from local to national provision."

"None of this is viable without a national workforce strategy that aligns social care pay, training and career pathways to address retention and improve career prospects. Plugging the hole in council finances might look like a mammoth task, but it's also a once in a generation opportunity to secure better health outcomes, better lives and wider prosperity."

Local authorities have consistently warned that a national care service cannot succeed without stabilizing the local systems supporting it. The Casey commission's reforms are valuable, but a comprehensive transition plan remains absent. Councils advocate for urgent funding reset and expanded joint commissioning across regional and national scales to eliminate costly inefficiencies between funders and care providers. Prevention-focused models developed by councils reduce crisis demand and should inform transformation. A national workforce strategy addressing social care pay, training, and career pathways is essential for retention. Adequate council funding enables investment in needed care homes, innovation hubs, and housing that improves health outcomes. Without proper transition planning, the new system risks inheriting existing dysfunctions.

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