Baroness Casey Calls Social Care Failings a ‘National Shame,’ Citing Lack of Government Oversight

Baroness Casey said the shortcomings identified in the recent Covid inquiry report into social care confirm that successive governments have failed to act.

The inquiry’s report, published last month, described the care sector as “something of an afterthought” in the early stages of the pandemic, allowing Covid to spread through care settings like “wildfire”.

Speaking ahead of a conference for social care leaders on Wednesday, Baroness Casey called the findings “so awful” and “a national shame”.

“Successive governments have been asleep at the wheel. We’ve got our heads in the sand,” she said.

Her final recommendations for services supporting older people and adults with disabilities are scheduled for publication next summer.

The remarks coincide with the release of commission research showing that England is an international outlier for lacking a “clear system of stewardship” for social care, unlike countries such as France and Germany.

She noted that the market is dominated by private providers and described the regulator, the Care Quality Commission, as a “spectator at the site of a car crash”.

The research found:

• People with the same condition experience different standards of care depending on where they live, with variation in assessment processes, waiting times, and levels of support.
• Those who self-fund their care—social care is means-tested—are charged on average 40% more than the rates councils pay for care they arrange.

The Casey commission was established by the current government to examine the sector. Baroness Casey added that building a new settlement for care remains a shared objective.

“Together, we can build a new settlement for care,” she said. “One based on values I still believe this country shares—decency, contribution, and a duty to care for our neighbours, our loved ones, and ourselves.”

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