A really positive meeting with our local MP, Noah Law, to discuss Adult Social Care and practical changes that could genuinely help providers.
I recently had a really positive meeting with our local MP, Noah Law, to discuss Adult Social Care and practical changes that could genuinely help providers deliver better care.
Rather than focusing on large-scale reform, our conversation centred on simple, achievable improvements. Too often, changes in social care are reactive, adding cost and bureaucracy while unintentionally worsening outcomes for both people receiving care and those working in it.
Social care can be an incredible employer. With the right support, it can offer meaningful work to people retiring from first careers, those seeking part-time roles later in life, and people who may not have thrived at school but have the talent and drive to progress into coordination or care management roles. Good employment practices benefit providers, communities, and the people receiving care.
DBS checks currently take one to five weeks, slowing recruitment and putting pressure on already stretched services. Prioritising professional DBS checks with a two-week turnaround could make a real difference.
Regulated care providers meet CQC standards, employment law, and training requirements — all essential for safety and quality. Some gig-economy platforms avoid these obligations, undermining quality and fair competition, and potentially reducing tax and NI contributions. Employment rights must apply consistently to support responsible providers.
The pressures facing the CQC are significant. Focusing on raising baseline quality, particularly by addressing very poor providers, would deliver better outcomes than trying to identify “exceptional” providers. High-quality care is often already recognised through reputation and word of mouth.
Care rates need to be transparent. Local authority funding is often too low, leading to “call clipping.” A 30-minute visit may only include 15–20 minutes of actual care once travel time is included. Openness allows for fairer negotiation and a more realistic marketplace.
Taxation changes have hit lower-paid workers hard. Rebalancing National Insurance and income tax in a revenue-neutral way could make work pay more clearly and help prepare for the demographic challenge of a smaller workforce supporting an ageing population.
Much wealth is tied up in housing, and many people could fund some or all of their care through equity release, but fear and complexity limit uptake. Making these products simpler, safer, and easier to understand could provide another way to support people and families.
The meeting with Noah Law was encouraging. Social care doesn’t always need radical reform — sometimes it needs practical fixes, honesty, and a fair operating environment. With the right focus, it can continue to deliver better care, better jobs, and better outcomes.
What strikes me most when meeting MPs is that they genuinely want to make the world a better place. They may have different ideas about how to achieve that, but the intention is usually good. Open, constructive engagement supports them far more than endless political point-scoring. In complex areas like social care, thoughtful dialogue and shared problem-solving are far more likely to lead to meaningful progress.