TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for reform of adult social care in England. The agenda will look at the design and funding of a National Care Service, integration with the NHS and neighbourhood healthcare services, addressing inequalities in access, sector capacity and workforce pay, support for unpaid carers, regulatory reform, and the adoption of data and technology across the sector.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss the next phase of adult social care reform and the practical decisions facing the sector as policy develops, following the Government’s decision to accelerate the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care due to report in summer 2027. Discussion will consider what an accelerated timetable means for the scope and deliverability of the Commission’s recommendations, the implications of the October Budget for funding, and decisions facing commissioners and providers before the commission reports.
Delegates will examine the funding assumptions underlying pay reform and next steps following the Government response on the Fair Pay Agreement process published in July 2026, including the affordability evidence expected from local government, the practical working of a national pay floor alongside local commissioning, and questions raised across the sector about whether the £500m allocated for 2028-29 is sufficient to support implementation. Discussion will also consider the arrangements and timetable for establishing the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, with regulations anticipated this autumn and recruitment of an independent chair under way.
The agenda will examine the issues facing providers, the workforce and commissioners in the run-up to longer-term reform and latest thinking on improving service sustainability and enabling care models that are responsive to changing needs.
As the Big Conversation on Care moves through its first phase on principles and eligibility, with a second to follow on funding and delivery, delegates will consider how the emerging discussion might inform longer-term reform. This includes approaches to addressing issues relating to capacity, regulation and funding, improving service integration, reducing inequalities in access between areas, and the future delivery model for personalised care.
National Care Service design, funding & access
Attendees will assess potential models for the organisation and finance of adult social care, including proposals for a National Care Service, options for delivering long-term reform, and the potential effectiveness of varying models in addressing different needs and priorities.
Areas for discussion include:
- reform models: assessing and addressing current pressures - life-time care cost caps - changes to means-testing - state-funded personal care and more universal approaches
- governance & delivery: national standards and local commissioning - accountability arrangements - sequencing immediate improvements alongside longer-term transformation
- funding & market sustainability: assessing local authority overspends and savings requirements - fee rates and commissioning practice - the future for charging and treatment of self-funders
- access & variation: eligibility decisions between and within regions - waiting times for assessment, care and review - young people moving into adult services and rising complexity of need
- public engagement & consensus: informing reform - Big Conversation on Care - reflecting lived experience and workforce perspectives in service design, commissioning and evaluation
Workforce, pay reform & unpaid carers
The agenda will look at practical implications of pay reform as the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body is established, including questions around funding, implementation, commissioning arrangements, provider costs and workforce sustainability, and the basis on which a first agreement would rest. Discussion will also assess the position of unpaid carers, following the reassessment of Carer’s Allowance overpayments and the Government’s subsequent call for evidence on modernising Carer’s Allowance, which closed in August 2026.
Areas for discussion include:
- negotiating body: operation in practice - representation and voting arrangements - independent chair and negotiating cycle - route to negotiations from April 2027 and first agreement from April 2028
- pay & affordability: £500m allocated for 2028-29 - implications for commissioning, fee rates and provider sustainability - differentials, progression and take-home pay
- recruitment & retention:
- developing a domestic workforce following closure of the care worker visa route to new overseas applicants
- vacancy rates and turnover - impact of a Fair Pay Agreement on workforce stability - wider questions around workforce planning and long-term affordability
- implications of proposed changes to settlement rules for internationally recruited staff already in the sector
- skills & progression: Part 3 of the Care Workforce Pathway and its expanded role categories - training routes, apprenticeships and career pathways - professional recognition and adoption by employers
- unpaid carers: support and respite - the Carer’s Allowance review - earnings limit - carers assessments and local investment decisions
Integration, prevention & neighbourhood health
Priorities for improving coordination across health and social care services will be examined, including joint working between local authorities and NHS bodies as neighbourhood healthcare services develop, with footprints and integrated teams being agreed ahead of local neighbourhood health plans from 2027-28, and as the Better Care Fund moves through the first year of reform.
Areas for discussion include:
- joint working:
- shared accountability and planning - integration of social care workers into neighbourhood health teams
- roles of health and wellbeing boards, and the voluntary and community sector
- pooled funding: alignment of Better Care Fund plans with neighbourhood health - the uplift in the NHS minimum contribution to adult social care - options for further reform from 2027-28
- NHS Continuing Healthcare:
- appropriate support across health and social care boundaries - meeting complex needs
- streamlining assessment and discharge pathways - cost-shifting between NHS and local authority budgets
- prevention & independence: intermediate care and reablement - supporting people to remain in community settings and avoid admission - alignment with the 10 Year Health Plan
Regulatory reform, data & technology
Regulatory priorities will also be examined as the Care Quality Commission tests and refines its draft sector-specific assessment frameworks, with pilots running through October 2026 and final evaluation expected in November ahead of implementation. Sessions will also consider the adoption of digital systems and emerging technologies across diverse care settings, looking at opportunities to reduce administrative burdens.
Areas for discussion include:
- assessment frameworks: replacement of the single assessment framework - shifting towards rating characteristics - proportionate judgement informed by sector expertise - administrative burden
- evidence and oversight: quality metrics and data - identifying risk and supporting improvement - consistency across a diverse provider base - how judgements are reached - transparency
- technology and AI use:
- applications in care planning, monitoring and administration - assurance and evaluation of new tools - digital skills across the workforce
- tackling adoption barriers - centring integration around the needs of people drawing on services - supporting personalised and predictive care
- digital records and interoperability: shared care records across health and social care - data standards and information governance - support for smaller providers - digital inclusion for service users
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department of Health and Social Care; Care Quality Commission; HM Prison and Probation Service; and Government Legal Department.
