Baroness Casey of Blackstock has today (29 July) launched The Big Conversation on Care, the most ambitious public conversation in a generation, handing the public a direct role in shaping the future of adult social care in England.
Between now and April 2027, The Big Conversation will give people across England the opportunity to say what they want and expect from a future National Care Service, including on the tough questions on who it should support, what families should reasonably be expected to do, and how the country should pay for care in a fair and sustainable way.
The launch follows warnings from Baroness Casey that the adult social care system is “broken”, and that previous attempts to reform social care have too often failed because they have tried to resolve fundamental questions without first building public understanding and consent.
Baroness Casey of Blackstock said:
“For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt.
“Social care affects every family in this country: whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for it through our taxes.
“That’s why I am launching The Big Conversation on Care today. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service. It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform.”
The Big Conversation will aim to engage with one million people across England. It is open to everyone through a new online platform which has launched today at caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation, starting the conversation by asking people: when we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?
The Big Conversation will conclude by April 2027. Baroness Casey has agreed to provide the Independent Commission’s recommendations by summer 2027.
