Burnham names how he would pay for free care, not yet what it covers
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says changing the pension triple lock from April 2030 would pay for a free National Care Service in England.
Burnham names how he would pay for free care
In this edition
This week
Top stories
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1. A 15-year wait for settlement could drive out overseas care workers already here
The Homecare Association wants ministers to rule out a 15-year wait for settlement for care workers already in the UK.
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2. Fewer than half of carers known to councils say they look after themselves
Just 46% of carers known to councils in England say they look after themselves, down from 54.9% in 2016-17.
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3. Adult care complaints to the Ombudsman rise 22% in a year
The Ombudsman recorded 3,938 adult social care complaints and enquiries in England in 2025-26, up 22%.
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4. Special measures for Norfolk care home that could not show agency staff checks
CQC has rated Kings Court Care Home in Holt inadequate at its first inspection and put it in special measures.
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5. CQC says larger providers are behind on learning disability training
A year after the Oliver McGowan Code, CQC says many larger providers still have significant work to do on learning disability and autism training.
Chart of the week
Commissioning and markets · Care home places
About one care home bed in ten is empty and ready for a resident
Care home beds in England, by whether occupied · Week ending 14 August 2026
Note: From the Capacity Tracker, which care homes update each month. CQC counts occupancy another way, so its figures differ; they are not combined here.
Source: DHSC, Adult social care provider statistics, England: quarterly update to August 2026 (opens in a new tab) Published 28 September 2026
In brief
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Dilnot on the cost of free care
Sir Andrew Dilnot, whose review of care funding reported 15 years ago, told the BBC an NHS-style care system could take decades to build and would cost a very substantial amount.
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Care home buyers stay busy
Christie & Co's Care Market Review 2026 says over half of the operators it surveyed plan to buy another care home within a year, after a record £12bn-plus of deals in 2025.
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How likely are you to become a carer?
Asked in late August, the public guessed that 38% of people in the UK ever become unpaid carers, far fewer than actually do, according to research reported by The Carer.
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Equity in the National Care Service
At a Labour conference panel run by SCIE and the Centre for Care, speakers argued that equity must sit at the heart of social care reform and National Care Service planning.
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What complaints say about commissioning
Care England reviewed almost 450 Ombudsman decisions from June to August 2026 and found recurring problems with communication, care planning, record keeping, complaint handling and commissioning.
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ADASS on equity as a legal duty
ADASS President Phil Holmes says a webinar with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and CQC concluded that equity in adult social care is a legal duty, not a nice to have.
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A provider answers Casey on profit
A care provider who invited the Prime Minister to his home last month said calls to tackle profiteering must not condemn the many providers delivering good care on modest margins.
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Errors in DHSC care statistics
DHSC says processing and submission errors affected its January and April 2026 client-level data on long-term support and assessments, and it will correct them. The next release is due on 1 October.
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NIHR opens a £45m research call
NIHR has opened a £45m first round of Strategic Infrastructure Partnerships, including research into technology that helps people live well and independently at home. Awards run from £6m to £15m.
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Why older people keep quiet about falls
University of Winchester research suggests older people worry about falling but are reluctant to raise it with health professionals, because of the stigma they attach to falls.
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Radio 4 on the politics of care reform
On Radio 4's Westminster Hour, a cabinet minister was reported as saying the government has about two and a half years before an election to make its case on care reform, against 2017's six-week campaign.
On the radar
- CQC's annual State of Care report
- Plaid Cymru annual conference
- Conservative Party conference
- Care Show, Birmingham
- NICON, the Northern Ireland health and social care conference
- Applications close for England's first national dementia tsar
- Registration closes for the Casey Commission's Public Panel on Care
- RCN Northern Ireland Independent Sector Conference
- SNP annual national conference
- Autumn Budget
Sources
Each item links its source at the point it relies on it; the articles carry their full sources.
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