The King's Fund responds to the government's plans to postpone social care charging reforms

Commenting on the announcement that social care charging reform will be postponed indefinitely, Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: 

‘Today, the Chancellor said that the social care system needs reform. We would go further and state that, fundamentally, the current social care system in England is not fit for purpose.

‘The sector is financially stretched, struggling with staff vacancies, and too often unable to provide enough support to the people, families and carers who rely on care services.

‘Social care reform will cost money, but the initial sums can be small, and the cost of not reforming social care is people struggling to fund, or even access, the support they need. Regrettably, after being postponed twice under previous governments, plans to introduce reforms to social care charging in 2025 have now been cancelled. 

‘Following today’s decision, the government now has no plan to address the core issue in adult social care – the growing mismatch between the population’s need for support and the availability of publicly funded care. Since 2015/16, more people in England have been requesting social care support but fewer are receiving it. The result is that many people’s needs are going unmet.

‘The government has promised to develop a plan to reform adult social care, and we hope they will now work at pace to deliver it. There is undoubtedly a question of affordability, but there is also the question of whether we want to be a society that allows people’s care needs to go unmet.’

Notes to editors

For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team on 020 7307 2585. 

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.