October 2026 newsletter

Welcome to the October newsletter! This month, we will look back at some of Baroness Casey’s recent visits, which included shadowing a care worker in Liverpool. We will also share some updates about the Big Conversation, including our work to hear from the adult social care workforce and preparations for the first meeting of our Public Panel on Care.

Earlier this month, Baroness Casey visited Liverpool to see the realities of adult social care first-hand.

She joined home care workers on their evening visits and visited Millvina House in Anfield, hearing directly from people who draw on care and support, as well as the staff who provide it.

The visit provided an opportunity to hear about the challenges facing people who need care and support, alongside the dedication and commitment of those working in the sector. It also highlighted the importance of supporting people to remain independent and live well at home for as long as possible.

The visit was covered in The Guardian. You can read the article here: In Liverpool I saw the tough choices Louise Casey faces on social care – starting with who will pay?

On 14 October, Baroness Casey joined a meeting of chief executives from more than 20 specialist autism charities at Friends House in London.

The discussion provided an opportunity to hear directly from organisations delivering social care and community support for autistic people, including their experiences of the current system and the challenges facing the people they support.

Engagement with organisations representing and supporting autistic people, and with autistic people themselves, is an important part of the Commission’s work to understand the different experiences and needs of people who draw on adult social care.

To mark World Alzheimer’s Day, Baroness Casey took part in an Instagram takeover, sharing her thoughts on adult social care and the work of the Commission. The full video is now available to watch on YouTube.

You can watch it here: Baroness Louise Casey answers your questions on the future of dementia care – YouTube

Hearing from the adult social care workforce

As part of the Big Conversation on Care, Ipsos is leading a programme of engagement with the adult social care workforce. They are delivering this with Skills for Care and other organisations.

In November, Ipsos will begin sharing communications with people working across adult social care to invite them to take part and share their experiences and views. They will reach out to the sector through their channels and networks and ask other organisations to help share the messages as well.

Hearing from the workforce is an important part of the Big Conversation. People working in adult social care have first-hand experience of how the system works, the challenges it faces and what could be improved.

We want to hear from as many people working in adult social care as possible, across different roles and settings, to help shape the future of care.

Our Public Panel on Care prepares to meet

In November, we will hold the first in-person sessions of our Public Panel on Care.

The Panel will bring together around 125 people from different backgrounds across England, broadly representative of the population, to learn about adult social care, hear different perspectives and discuss some of the big questions about its future.

Over a series of sessions, Panel members will consider evidence, share their views and explore where there may be common ground on how adult social care should work in the future. What we hear from the Panel will help inform the next stages of the Big Conversation.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to register their interest in taking part and for their willingness to contribute to the Big Conversation.

November will be another important month for the Commission.

Alongside the first sessions of our Public Panel on Care, the Commission will hold its next round of cross-party discussions, bringing together representatives from across the political parties to discuss the future of adult social care.

We look forward to sharing further updates as this work progresses.

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.