Response to Prime Minister's Social Care Plan

“Andy Burnham’s speech on adult social care today resonated with me on both a professional and personal level.

Like many people working in the sector, social care is not simply a policy discussion for me. It has shaped both my career and my life.

I began my career as a support colleague, working alongside people who relied on high-quality care and support to live meaningful lives. I then spent more than 20 years in local government, navigating commissioning, safeguarding, quality assurance, workforce challenges and public sector reform. More recently, I have worked in the independent sector, giving me a broader perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing providers.

Alongside my professional experience, I have spent more than 24 years navigating the health and social care system as the father of a daughter with a learning disability and autism. That journey has taught me that behind every strategy, inspection framework, funding review and policy announcement is a person, a family, and often a lifetime of caring.

That is why I welcomed Andy Burnham’s focus on dignity, fairness and the vital role of care workers. His comments about valuing care professionals through better pay, training and development speak directly to an issue many of us have championed for years.

What particularly struck me was his emphasis on moving beyond political point-scoring and towards long-term solutions. For too long, the sector has lived with uncertainty, fragmented funding and growing demand, affecting both those who rely on support and those who provide it.

As someone whose leadership philosophy is rooted in person-centred practice, I believe any future reform must begin with a simple question:

What matters to people?

Not what fits organisational structures.
Not what suits funding mechanisms.
Not what works best for systems.
But what enables people to live with independence, choice, dignity and purpose.

From a quality and risk perspective, the best outcomes are achieved when services are designed around individuals, families are valued as partners, and the workforce is empowered to provide compassionate, personalised support.

The challenge now is turning aspiration into delivery.
If we are serious about improving outcomes for people who draw on care and support, workforce investment, sustainable funding, quality improvement and person-centred care must remain inseparable priorities.

Throughout my career, and my journey as a parent and carer, I have come to believe that the most important question is not “how do our services work?” but “how does life feel for the people who depend on them?”.

Our collective responsibility is to build a system that sees the whole person, values those who provide care and support, and enables every individual to live with dignity, choice, independence and purpose.

That is how we should judge the success of any future reform.”

~ Mike Cleasby, Chief Quality & Risk Officer, National Care Group