Care Campaign for the Vulnerable is deeply concerned by the glaring lack of attention given to adult social care in today’s Spending Review announcement. While we welcome the investment into the NHS – essential for the future of our health system—it is profoundly short-sighted to continue treating social care as the poor relation.
The Chancellor’s £29 billion pledge to the NHS is, of course, welcome. However, without a parallel and meaningful commitment to the adult social care sector, this investment risks being undermined. The two systems are inextricably linked. Our hospitals are filled with people who could be supported elsewhere if only there was a robust, well-funded care infrastructure behind them.
It is disappointing—though sadly not surprising—that social care was mentioned only in passing in Rachel Reeves’ speech. After years of crisis, workforce shortages, and rising safeguarding concerns, this minimal recognition shows a continued disconnect between political narrative and the everyday reality of those delivering and receiving care.
We note the £4 billion earmarked for social care by 2028-29. This is not a bold solution—it is a delayed gesture. Families, care workers, and providers need urgent support now. A Fair Pay Agreement, while a positive step, is not a fix-all. Where is the funding for training, staff retention, transparency, safety oversight, and sustainable delivery models that will actually address the sector’s deep-rooted challenges?
CCFTV supports thousands of families who are living through the consequences of chronic underinvestment in care. We witness the fallout daily—unwitnessed injuries, safeguarding failures, and overwhelmed care teams doing their best without the tools they need. Many of the tragedies we are involved in supporting could have been prevented had the sector been adequately supported.
Today’s announcement reaffirms our campaign’s message: social care must no longer be an afterthought.
We will continue to push for:
- Independent safety monitoring in care settings to protect vulnerable residents.
- Investment in workforce development and retention, particularly in dementia care.
- A commitment to transparency and accountability across the care sector.
- Genuine partnership between NHS and social care, not political platitudes.
If this government is serious about real reform, then social care needs more than applause, slogans, or delayed promises—it needs action, funding, and political will.
