The Care Brief
Joel Dawson, Editor · Wednesday 23 September 2026
In this edition
- England to get a national dementia tsar, reporting straight to the Health Secretary
- Casey Commission picks around 125 people at random to help decide who pays for care
- Carers UK: 1.1 million people left work in two years to care for a relative
- CMA clears Welltower care home deals after divestments in 30 local markets
- In brief
- Coming up
This week
More long reads
Casey Commission picks around 125 people at random to help decide who pays for care
Carers UK: 1.1 million people left work in two years to care for a relative
CMA clears Welltower care home deals after divestments in 30 local markets
In brief
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The MHRA has asked care providers to strengthen checks, maintenance and staff training for patient hoists and slings, after warning of preventable falls.
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Skills for Care's chief executive, Oonagh Smyth, is urging care staff in England to complete the government's Adult Social Care Workforce Survey, as ministers take forward the Fair Pay Agreement.
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On BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Baroness Casey backed a proposed 18-week referral-to-treatment target for dementia in England.
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A report from the King's Fund and Alzheimer's Society calls dementia care “stuck in the 20th century” and asks for progress on the scale achieved against cancer.
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MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee have endorsed Baroness Julia Neuberger as the government's choice to chair the Care Quality Commission.
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An NHS trial run by the UK Dementia Research Institute, with more than 250 families, is testing smart mattresses, sensors and wearables to help people with dementia live safely at home.
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Marie Curie has written to the Prime Minister warning that end-of-life care is broken and devastating families.
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Extremes of hot and cold weather were linked to an estimated 180,000 deaths in England and Wales between 1988 and 2025, according to analysis by the Centre for Ageing Better.
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MPs have voted down proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.
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Care England argues that menopause support in social care must go beyond written policy to workplace culture and everyday support.
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In a Community Care poll of 507 social workers, the largest group backed unions lodging the 2027-28 local government pay claim early, after this year's 3.3% rise was reluctantly accepted.
Coming up
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7 to 8 October 2026
Care Show, Birmingham
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7 October 2026
NICON, the Northern Ireland health and social care conference
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8 October 2026
Applications close for England's first national dementia tsar
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11 October 2026
Registration closes for the Casey Commission's Public Panel on Care
Source: Department of Health and Social Care · Our article →
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13 October 2026
RCN Northern Ireland Independent Sector Conference
Sources
Each item links its source at the point it relies on it; the articles carry their full sources.