ADASS President Jess McGregor reflects on the future of adult social care at the LGA Conference 2025

Jess McGregor, President of ADASS, shared her insights in a thought-provoking discussion at the LGA Conference 2025 exploring Casey, coproduction, consensus, and compromise: what will drive the future reform of adult social care and what that reform might look like. She offered valuable perspectives on the key forces shaping the future of social care.

“Adult social care is about people—about all of us. Because inevitably almost all of us will need care at some point in our lives.

“Adult Social Care is about how we care for each other as we age, how those of us with disabilities get the support we need to live full lives, how we honour unpaid carers, and how we value the dedicated workforce that holds up the system day in, day out.

“At points we may all need extra support to live well in the place we call home, with the people and things that we love, and doing the things that matter to us.

“Some of us will need that support for all of our lives, others for shorter periods of time.

“When it works well, social care is the glue that holds our lives—and our communities—together. Whether we need to draw on care services or need help pursuing our dreams, at its best social care can connect us to the support that we need enabling us to live the lives that we want.

“And there are many places across the country doing a fantastic job of this.

“We know what good looks like. And we’ve got real examples across the country. That gives us a strong foundation for reform.

“But the truth is, the system is under intolerable strain and not everyone is able to access the care they need. There is simply not enough resource.

“There are people going without care, without enough care, or without the right care. That’s not the exception—it’s becoming the norm. And that should shame us.

“We know that too many older people are isolated and struggling. Carers are exhausted. And disabled people are being let down by a health and care system that should enable, not disable.

“Local authority directors are on a financial hamster wheel—overspending one year just to meet essential needs, only to be asked to make impossible savings the next. In last year, 72% of councils overspent on adult social care. And 95% of us had to use reserves—an unsustainable sticking plaster. We know from this year’s Spring Survey that those figures have worsened.

“What we need to reform social care is not a better vision, or a better legislative framework, or better examples of what good looks like. We’ve got all of that already.

“We need more resource.

“And that in my mind is the biggest risk for Baroness Casey’s Commission.

“We all know that there isn’t surplus public funding available.

“We also know that historically, public understanding and appreciation of adult social care, has been insufficient to enable tough political decisions about raising more funds or re-distributing existing ones.

“And of course this risk is exacerbated by the timescale of phase 2 of the commission, which will report on the eve of the next general election.

“This means that we all need to do all that we can to support Baroness Casey and her commission. Whilst the context for her review is challenging we couldn’t have wished for a more formidable chair. This is our best hope for securing the change that we need. We all need to help make it a success.

“The Casey Commission matters. It’s an opportunity to bring adult social care out of the margins and into the mainstream of public debate and policymaking.

“And that is what we need:

• Public debate that enables us all to reflect on what social care is, the types of care and support we want for ourselves and our families—today, in the future—and how we pay for it.
• We need to be clear about what we can expect of individuals, families, fellow citizens, communities and the state as part of a network of support.

“We need Baroness Casey to help us build a new social contract—one that reflects who we are, what we value, and how we care for one another. One that demands proper funding and enables politicians to make the difficult decisions that haven’t been possible in the past.”.

“That’s the opportunity before the Commission. And it’s the responsibility we all share.”