BHTA responds to Prime Minister’s plans for social care reform

Last Updated on 30/07/2026 by Sarah Sarsby

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has brought Baroness Louise Casey’s review of adult social care forward by a year, as he set out an ambition to establish a national care service and argued that reform is essential to reducing pressure on the NHS.

In a speech delivered on 29 July, the Prime Minister criticised successive governments for failing to resolve the long-standing challenges facing social care.

He described Parliament’s failure to address the issue as a “major dereliction of public duty”, adding: “It’s shameful, to be honest, that politicians have put point scoring before fixing this issue.”

The Prime Minister said an estimated two million adults in England currently have unmet care needs. He also highlighted the financial impact on people and families, saying: “Hundreds of thousands of pounds can just disappear, paying for care.”

He added that adults with disabilities can face “very unfair care charges just to live their life”.

Announcing that Baroness Casey’s independent review would be accelerated, the Prime Minister said the government wanted its findings within a year. The review will consider how England could deliver a national care service that is person-centred, preventative, and closely integrated with the NHS.

Explaining the ambition, the Prime Minister said: “We need to talk about a system that can become highly integrated with the NHS.”

The relationship between social care and NHS performance was a central theme of the speech. The Prime Minister said 13,600 people had recently been deemed medically fit for discharge but were unable to leave hospital, describing the figure as an average across the month in England.

“There is just no way that we can restore the NHS to the standards that we would all want to see without fixing this issue,” he said.

The announcement follows the government’s original plans for an independent commission on adult social care. In January 2025, BHTA welcomed the ambition to create a national care service but raised concerns about the timetable for reform and called for earlier action.

Responding to the speech, David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), said: “Bringing Baroness Casey’s review forward is a welcome recognition of the urgency of social care reform. The Prime Minister is right that the future of social care and the future of the NHS cannot be considered separately.

“A national care service must support prevention, independence, and person-centred care. Healthtech and assistive technology providers have practical expertise in helping people remain independent, supporting timely hospital discharge, and reducing avoidable pressure on NHS services. BHTA and its members are ready to work with the government to help address these challenges and support meaningful social care reform.”