You May Not Need Social Care Today, But What About Tomorrow?

Social care is probably not something most people think about everyday. And honestly, why would you? If you are healthy, independent and do not have a parent, grandparent or loved one who needs care, the world of care homes, home care and social care policy can feel, well... very far away.

But it should not.

According to the latest population projections from the Office for National Statistics, there were around 1.75 million people aged 85 and over in the UK in 2024. By 2049, that number is projected to more than double to 3.6 million, which is almost 5% of the UK population.

Those are not just numbers. Those people may be our parents, partners, friends, and eventually, some of them may be us. So the future of social care deserves our attention long before the day we actually need it.

So, what kind of care would you want?

Working in adult social care has changed the way I think about getting older. I have seen first hand how much trust we place in the people who care for us. If you needed support with the most personal parts of your life, what kind of care worker would you want standing beside you?

Someone who has enough time to listen?

Someone properly trained?

Someone experienced enough to notice when something about you has changed?

Someone who knows you well enough to recognise when you are frightened, uncomfotable, or simply not yourself?

Someone patient and kind to you even when no one is looking?

I imagine most of us would say yes. So, we need to ask:

Are we building a social care system today that will be capable of providing that kind of care tomorrow?

Good care does not simply appear when somebody turns 70 or 85. It requires people, training, sustainable care providers and a workforce that actually wants to stay.

Decisions are being made now. Social care policy is already changing.

The government is establishing England's first Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, which will bring employers and trade unions together to negotiate pay, terms and conditions and other employment matters. The first agreement is expected for 2028-29.

England is also developing the Care Workforce Pathway, designed to create clearer career structures and expectations around the knowledge, skills and behaviours required in adult social care.

These may sound like policies that only concern care workers, providers and the government but they are not. The conditions care workers work in today will help determine the workforce available to care for people tomorrow. And that makes social care everybody's business.

What are we building for our future?

An ageing population does not mean everyone will need residential care. And getting older should not be treated as a problem. But the numbers should make us reflect.

What kind of social care system do we want to grow old in?

What standards would we expect for our parents?

What would we expect from the people caring for them?

And if those are the standards we would want some day, what are we willing to do now to help create them?

We can pay more attention to social care policy. We can listen to people receiving care, their families and the workforce. We can engage when the government ask the public for views on reform instead of assuming that social care has nothing to do with us.

Because the time to care about social care is not when you suddenly need it.

The time is now.

When we support carers and care workers, we improve care.