September 2026 newsletter

Welcome to our September newsletter. This month, the first phase of the Big Conversation on Care’s online platform came to a close, and invitations to join the Public Panel on Care began arriving in households across England. Baroness Casey also heard directly from people with learning disabilities and their families, spoke at the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference and took part in media interviews across the country. Read on for more about this month’s work below. 

The first phase of our online platform closed on 23 September, with an impressive 7,776 proposals and 709,884 votes cast! 

We are extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views, put forward proposals and vote. The responses are now being analysed to help inform the next stage of the Big Conversation. 

The platform will reopen later in winter, giving people another opportunity to take part. We will share further information on our website. 

From 21 September, thousands of households across England began receiving letters inviting people aged 18 and over to register their interest in joining the Public Panel on Care. 

A key part of the of the Big Conversation on Care, the Public Panel on Care will bring together around 125 people to learn about adult social care, hear different perspectives and discuss some of the big questions about its future. You do not need any previous knowledge or experience of social care to take part. 

Participants will be selected from those who register, with the final panel chosen to broadly reflect the population of England. Registration closes on Sunday 11 October 2026.

Recruitment is being run by the Sortition Foundation. If you receive an invitation and have any questions, please use the contact details provided in your letter. 

Read more about this here on our website: Thousands invited to join the Public Panel on Care | The Casey Commission 

This month, Baroness Casey visited Mencap’s offices to hear directly from people with learning disabilities, their families and carers about their experiences of care and support. 

Participants spoke about the importance of being treated with dignity and respect, including being spoken to directly by healthcare professionals. Families and carers also described the difficulties of navigating services and the persistent effort needed to secure support. 

We are grateful to everyone who shared their experiences, and to Mencap for bringing the discussion together.  Hearing directly from people who draw on care and support, and their families is vital to the Commission’s work. These conversations help us understand what needs to change and ensure their priorities shape future reform. 

Baroness Casey spoke at the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference on 17 September, which brought together people with lived experience, health and social care professionals, researchers and policymakers. 

She called for greater urgency in improving dementia diagnosis, treatment, care and support, and for the country to approach dementia with the same ambition and focus it has brought to cancer. 

Baroness Casey also wrote a piece for the Daily Mail, as part of its partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, on the need to come together to create lasting change for people affected by dementia. 

You can read this here: BARONESS CASEY: Just as we did for cancer treatment, this country must come together to create lasting change | Daily Mail Online 

Throughout September, Baroness Casey took part in national and local media interviews across the country, discussing the Commission’s work and encouraging people to take part in the Big Conversation on Care. These included appearances on local news and radio, alongside: 

• BBC Breakfast, 3 September: discussing the Commission’s work on the future of adult social care in England.  

• BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell phone-in, 3 September: hearing from callers and discussing their experiences of care and support. You can listen here: BBC Radio 5 Live – Nicky Campbell, Baroness Louise Casey takes your calls on reforming social care in England 

• BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, 21 September: discussing adult social care and the Big Conversation on Care. You can listen here: Listen on BBC Sounds. 

While the online platform is closed for analysis, the Commission continues to welcome views, experiences and ideas from members of the public, people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, the adult social care workforce, providers and organisations across the sector.

You can share your experiences through our website and find out more about the Commission’s work. 

Organisations can also use our stakeholder pack to hold their own conversations and share views with the Commission. To receive a copy, please email enquiries@caseycommission.co.uk.

You can also sign up for updates from the Commission, including future opportunities to take part in the Big Conversation on Care.