Adult social care in England

In 1948, the welfare state was overhauled and councils were tasked with helping the most needy. Since then, social care has always been means tested with delivery left to town halls, the voluntary sector and private companies. The demand for social care continues to rise.

A government-commissioned report published in 1988 concluded that ‘community care is a poor relation: everybody's distant relative but nobody's baby’ (Griffiths, 1988). It acknowledged that funding was inadequate, but changes that were made centred on the organisation of care. The report set out proposals to achieve clearer lines of responsibility and accountability from the social services secretary to those delivering services to people.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England is responsible for overseeing health and social care. It plays a crucial role in shaping and implementing health and social care policies, ensuring the delivery of high-quality services and addressing public health challenges. Formulation of policy is one thing; its execution and bringing services to people and supporting the staff that deliver them is another.