On 4th July 2024, the Labour Government was elected on a mandate of change. One year on, Access Social Care’s annual State of the Nation report reveals a stark continuation of Westminster’s failure to address long-standing crises faced by social care in England. The report paints a sobering picture for those reliant on a system under extreme strain – and not the change many older or disabled people had hoped for at the ballot box.
Key findings include a shocking 45.6% increase in safeguarding concerns raised through helplines compared to the previous year. Safeguarding involves protecting those who have been put in vulnerable circumstances from abuse or neglect, with public services working together to identify people at risk. This dramatic rise is reflective of massively overstretched systems and an increase in financial insecurity for those accessing care services.
Access Social Care is a legal rights organisation that exists to ensure people receive the social care they need and are entitled to. The fifth annual State of the Nation report is based on a data collaboration project in partnership with Royal Mencap Society, Age UK, Carers UK, Independent Age, RNIB, Scope, Citizens Advice Bureau and Ealing Advice Service. The report identifies key challenges facing people who need social care and looks at the extent to which advice demand and provision has changed.
There was cautious optimism when Sir Keir Starmer took office that Labour might deliver on its early commitments to establish a National Care Service and implement much-needed workforce reforms. Yet, as the first year has unfolded, Access Social Care finds that the Government’s social care policies have fallen short of its own manifesto pledges.
Within months of the Labour government coming into office, major policy shifts – including increases to National Insurance Contributions (NICS) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) – were introduced. The Nuffield Trust estimates the additional cost of these to the adult social care sector at £2.8 billion per year. Sector experts warn that funding provided to offset such costs have been inadequate, with the approach described as “reform in principle, austerity in practice”.
This strategy of containing public expenditure has been compounded by the establishment of the independent commission into social care, to be led by Baroness Louise Casey. Whilst Baroness Casey is a recognised talent, willing to speak out for positive change, the timetable for the commission further pushes back the timeline for reform. With the sector already a ‘sitting duck’, and numerous white papers outlining known challenges already in circulation, many fear another cycle of rhetoric over action.
The State of the Nation report has also found the following during Labour’s first year:
- 16.6% increase in advice provision identifying the need for specialist legal advice
- 10.7% rise in general social care advice queries within the information seeking category
- 8.6% increase in direct payment queries
- 7.5% increase in people receiving advice about social care through helplines
- 7.3% rise in unpaid carer queries
While there has been welcome change in some areas, including a reduction of those on waiting lists and a dip in staff vacancies, these gains are precarious. The sector continues to grapple with a longstanding workforce recruitment crisis, disparities between localities, and funding that has yet to match the true pace of demographic change and rising costs.
Kari Gerstheimer, CEO of Access Social Care said: “One year in, our data shows that rather than Labour turning the tide, safeguarding concerns have surged by 45%. This is a devastating marker of a system under extreme strain, where under-resourced services are failing to provide the social care we all need. The government’s policy decisions—particularly around National Insurance and wage uplifts—risk adding billions in costs to the sector without matching investment. We cannot reform social care with rhetoric.
“We urge the Casey Commission to break the cycle of delay and to seek full access to government data so it can deliver the bold, evidence-based solutions that people so desperately need. This is not only about budgets—it’s about rights, safety, and dignity.”
The current pressures on the system demand decisive leadership rooted in transparency and urgency. Access Social Care calls on the upcoming Casey Commission to be granted full access to government-held data and information, enabling it to develop robust recommendations that drive the meaningful change that Labour ministers have so often promised.
Labour’s first year in government reflects a complex balance of aspiration and constraint. While the administration has made notable policy moves and acknowledged the sector’s critical issues, its approach has been characterised by fiscal caution, incremental legislative adjustments, and a reliance on longer-term strategies that lack immediate funding commitments. Echoes of the past remain all too familiar.
