Commons debate: National Care Service
MPs in the House of Commons held a debate on a National Care Service on 15 October 2026, according to the official parliamentary record published by Hansard.
October 2026
25 items this month
Week commencing 12 October
Triple lock rework planned from 2030
Baroness Sherlock, a Work and Pensions minister, told peers the government plans to rework the triple lock's earnings element from April 2030, keeping its three guarantees but ending the ratchet.
The Prime Minister, Commons: Engagements
At Prime Minister's Questions on 14 October, Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged MPs of all parties to stop point scoring and help build a national care service, recalling his parents' experience.
Settlement wait could cost NHS £169m+
NHS Employers and health unions say stretching the wait for settlement from five years to as long as 15 could add at least £169m to NHS costs and unsettle 12,000 healthcare workers.
Voyage Care buys 23-home Orchard group
Voyage Care has bought Orchard Healthcare Group and its 23 homes in central and northern England, with Chief Executive Mike McKessar pointing to Orchard's Reconnect model for complex dementia.
National Care Service should stay local
A blog for ADASS, written from Wigan, argues that a National Care Service should keep local leadership and relationships at its heart, warning that consistent rights must not become identical services.
Norfolk care provider cut to inadequate
CQC has cut Dedicated Care East Anglia, a home care and supported living provider in Norfolk, from outstanding to inadequate and put it in special measures after finding five legal breaches.
Qualified care worker share falls to 37%
Skills for Care's annual workforce report says only 37% of England's care and support workers held a social care qualification at level 2 or higher in 2025-26, compared with 48% in 2018-19.
LPS consultation slips after AGNI ruling
DHSC says it is still weighing what the Supreme Court's AGNI ruling means for Liberty Protection Safeguards, so a consultation due by mid-2026 has slipped, while ADASS urges a firm decision.
The Prime Minister, Commons: Engagements
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Commons that decades of failure on social care reflect badly on every party, and promised a national care service built on co-operative principles.
Norfolk drops sale of Norse Care homes
Norfolk County Council has dropped the sale of 20 homes and their operator, Norse Care, to Stow Healthcare, with Nick Taylor, its cabinet member for commercial assets, saying it will weigh alternatives.
Frith: every MP raised carer respite
Health and social care minister James Frith told a Commons debate that respite was the need every MP raised, and pointed to the government's cross-departmental action plan for carers.
CQC reports on equality objectives
CQC's annual report on its 2025 to 2029 equality objectives claims first-year progress on equality data and hearing from seldom-heard people, and sets out next year's priorities.
New dementia cases worldwide to double
University of New South Wales researchers, writing in JAMA Neurology, expect yearly new dementia diagnoses worldwide to double to nearly 25 million by 2050, falling hardest on women and poorer countries.
Digital care guidance mostly rehoused
Care England says the health department's GOV.UK collection on digitising adult social care, published 29 September, mostly rehouses existing guidance rather than setting new requirements, though some wording has changed.
Six England ASCOF measures to be revised
DHSC says it will revise six England outcome measures in its 2024 to 2025 ASCOF release after some councils sent in flawed figures, though national results barely shift.
Source: DHSC adult social care provider statistics (opens in a new tab)
Week commencing 5 October
CQC to regulate autism, ADHD diagnosis
The Department of Health and Social Care has asked CQC to regulate services that diagnose autism or ADHD without also treating them, which the regulator says closes a gap in oversight.
CQC cuts Woodland House to inadequate
CQC has cut Woodland House, a Bedfordshire home run by Really Flexible Care for people with a learning disability and autistic people, from outstanding to inadequate and put it in special measures.
Burnham plan omits working-age adults
Community Care says Prime Minister Andy Burnham's national care service, giving older people in England free personal care after the next election, leaves out working-age adults and care home board costs.
Palin urges PM to fix end of life care
Marie Curie supporters including Sir Michael Palin and Russell T Davies have described caring for dying relatives as they press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to act on his palliative care promises.
Digital framework for working-age care
Care England, VODG and partners launched a digital framework for services supporting adults of working age, saying technology should be judged on whether it makes people's lives better.
Cameron to host Alzheimer's podcast
The Carer reports that former Prime Minister David Cameron will host a new four part Bloomberg podcast series exploring recent progress in Alzheimer's research and potential treatment breakthroughs.
Week commencing 28 September
CareTrust buys 45 LNT homes for £1.1bn
LNT Care Developments has agreed a sale and leaseback deal worth £1.1bn, transferring freehold ownership of 45 operational and planned care homes to US-based CareTrust REIT.
Many care leaders already use AI daily
Care England reports new Oxford-led research finding many care leaders already use AI daily but face uncertainty over governance, training and regulatory expectations.
Care workers urged to get free flu jab
DHSC's Duncan Burton and Sarah McClinton urged care workers to take up the free winter flu vaccine from 1 October, saying it protects colleagues and vulnerable people they support.
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