Letter from Dr Louise Lawson in @theguardian.com: “Social care is relied on by people of all ages. Public debate not only misunderstands who uses social care, it often overlooks what social care makes possible.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it | Letters

Letters: Readers respond to Polly Toynbee’s article on the new prime minister’s commitment to a fair system

theguardian.com

‘A study examining preferences in countries in the OECD found that “older adults in countries with greater national expenditure on old age support … showed a stronger preference for formal care”. Nobody wants to deal with bad service, and #SocialCare is no different,’ notes @emilykenway.bsky.social

The Guardian@theguardian.com · yesterday

What if older people refuse help outside the family? This is the taboo that could wreck care reform | Emily Kenway

#UnpaidCarers play a vital role in supporting people of all ages. From my own lived experience as a carer, I understand some of the challenges carers face. We are sincerely grateful for all you do and will do all we can to support you across West Sussex.

West Sussex County Council greatly values #carers for the work they do, which supports the care system and helps us manage increasing need and increasing complexity of need. This strategy is for everyone, because care touches all of our lives. www.westsussex.gov.uk/news/recogni...

Recognised, seen and involved: a new strategy for West Sussex’s unpaid carers - West Sussex County Council

westsussex.gov.uk

“Fewer officers on our streets means less time to investigate crimes like car theft, and less deterrent for the criminals carrying them out,” said @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social "I'll keep pushing ministers to properly fund neighbourhood policing in Sussex.” www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/crime/c...

Chichester MP renews call for neighbourhood policing after car theft figures revealed

Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller has renewed her call for a fully resourced return to neighbourhood policing, after new figures revealed the pressures facing Sussex Police in tackling vehicle theft.

sussexexpress.co.uk

Some abandoned boarded-up buildings owned by West Sussex County Council have become a crime scene and a source of anxiety for local residents. With the Chair of Chichester District Council, we visited it today with a council officer who can help redevelop the site for much-needed housing.

“Most of us don’t think much about adult #SocialCare until the day that we need it, either for ourselves, or for our families and loved ones.”Baroness Casey has today launched the Big Conversation on Care to ensure people can feed in their views. caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversat...

The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on #SocialCare and fix the system so that it gives people dignity, security and support when they need it most. Read the official Government press release: www.gov.uk/government/n...

PM sets out new path to fix social care together: 29 July 2026

The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system so that it gives people dignity, security and support when they need it most.

gov.uk

“For 20 years the Conservatives have stood in the way of reforming #SocialCare. Consistently they have chosen to play party politics rather than get around the table and look for a solution... you cannot do it without all the parties working together,” said @helenmorganlibdem.bsky.social

Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · last wk.

Andy Burnham seeks cross-party agreement on future of social care But senior Lib Dems and Labour cast private doubt on whether Tories serious about cooperation. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

‘Burnham has promised to use “whatever political capital I have” to finally fix the crumbling #SocialCare system in England, saying that without rapid action the #NHS could effectively collapse.’ Much needed, but to be fair, this is already @libdems.org.uk policy. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Andy Burnham vows to use his ‘political capital’ to fix social care system

PM says that without rapid action the NHS could effectively collapse, in first full interview since entering No 10

theguardian.com

UK's shadow workforce is paid as little as 65p an hour. Who cares for the carers? 6m unpaid carers provide vital support to sick, disabled, old. 1.4m receive Carer's Allowance of £86.45 a week. More likely to be prosecuted for tiny errors in claims. Govts don't value humanity.

Britain's shadow workforce is paid as little as 65p an hour. Who cares for the carers? | Frances Ryan

Carer’s allowance turns 50 this year, but it’s no reflection of the labour of the millions who cook, clean and nurse behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan

theguardian.com

‘Research by the anti-poverty charity Z2K shows there were more than half a million “pointless reassessments” last year of people with conditions such as cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and amputations – presumably to check someone’s leg hadn’t grown back.’ #Disabilty #PIP #WelfareReform

Frances Ryan@francesryan.bsky.social · 3w ago

“The purpose of such interrogations has never been to determine whether someone needs disability benefits, but to make them reluctant to apply for it.” Today’s col. on Pip, its impending overall - and what a humane and effective system could actually look like. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Increasing accountability and trust is a laudable goal.

Samuel Thomas@smlthms.bsky.social · last mo.

Some good news today on welfare reform Auto-recording health & disability benefit assessments is an important move towards increasing accountability and trust Hopefully just a first step in overhauling the broken assessment system www.gov.uk/government/n...

“Shockingly high proportions of disabled people qualifying on the basis of lifelong #disabilities like cerebral palsy, permanent hearing loss and amputated limbs are being forced to undergo pointless reassessments, even though their disabilities will not change,” says @z2ktrust.bsky.social

Frances Ryan@francesryan.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Hundreds of thousands of disabled people with lifelong conditions are being put through “pointless” benefit reassessments, contrary to official guidelines. This includes people with learning disabilities and limb amputations. My exclusive: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

#SocialCare: “I think it’s about being prepared to grasp the nettle. I’ve got personal experience of the system. My dad has Alzheimer’s, and you see what the staff have to put up with. It’s not their fault. The system’s broken.” Yes, I also have personal experience of my dad’s vascular #dementia.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w ago

Existing care workers could be exempt from UK’s tough new immigration rules

DisMember — Classic Parliament Charles Kennedy, 23 years old, quotes the Government's own document back at it: closing the hospitals without building the alternative is not the answer, then watches it do precisely that in the name of Victorian values. dismember.co.uk/classic/char...

Now here’s an idea for Andy Burnham! Maybe Louise Casey’s much-anticipated Report on #SocialCare will have a similar proposal to what @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social suggests. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

My generation shouldn’t be scared of a care tax – we’re paying one already | Gaby Hinsliff

Andy Burnham would need to sell it to people like me. The right will call it a ‘death tax’ – why not a service for ageing well, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

theguardian.com

Ophthopedia Update: Life expectancy rising, but additional years spent in poor health: More people globally are living longer, but many of those extra years are spent experiencing disability and diseases, according to a new report in Lancet Public Health. “The central… #ophthalmology #eye #eyenews

Life expectancy rising, but additional years spent in poor health

More people globally are living longer, but many of those extra years are spent experiencing disability and diseases, according to a new report in Lancet Public Health. “The central finding is that we are adding years to life faster than we are adding health to those years,” Simon I. Hays, DPhil, DSc, FMedSci, director of research strategy at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), told Healio. Several recent IHME reports have indicated encouraging jumps in life expectancy over the last couple years, with a 2025 study showing that life expectancy returned to prepandemic rates in

dlvr.it

Yesterday’s invitation to Strawford Centre in Horsham for its Culture Day was enlightening. Their motto, Unity In Diversity, showcases the inclusive provision for adults with a variety of special needs such as autism and physical or learning #disabilities. Many happy faces being together summertime!

How about a joint effort to come up with a social care reform proposal which would actually build a consensus? @eddavey.libdems.org.uk has already written to Andy Burnham with this proposal. Reform of #SocialCare begins with better funding for public services.

Ed Davey@eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 2w ago

We need to do politics differently. If Andy Burnham is serious about cross party working, my door is open.

#AdultSocialCare reform: “For relatives of people with unmet needs, and others who see the system’s flaws closeup, feelings of helplessness and injustice can undermine confidence in society and the state overall.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Guardian view on social care reform: Andy Burnham is right – this issue must be gripped | Editorial

Editorial: Ending the pattern of broken pledges and ditched proposals could help to rebuild trust in politics

theguardian.com

We need to protect our most vulnerable residents and those who care for them.

Liberal Democrats@libdems.org.uk · 2w ago

The social care crisis is a catastrophe for families, for the NHS and for local services. Liberal Democrats stand ready to work across party lines to tackle this existential crisis. For carers and for our country. Nothing matters more.

At WSCC Full Council on Friday, Cllr Mayne asked a great question about technology-enabled care. I answered that new developments in AI could help residents in Witterings and across the County, increasing both their own independence and our #AdultSocialCare staff’s efficiency.

At WSCC the overspend on #AdultSocialCare caused Cllr Mark Baynham to ask if Adult Services are sustainable at Full Council last Friday. Here’s my answer:

As UK healthy life expectancy is falling, please remember: “A healthy labour force is also the engine that powers our economy – it determines whether people can participate in employment, how effectively they work and how long they remain in the labour market,” says @healthfoundation.bsky.social

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3w ago

Restoring Britain’s health to 2014 levels could add 2% to GDP, thinktank says

How can the #CarersAllowance system impose ‘draconian “cliff edge” penalties that could land a carer with a £4,488 bill for earning 1p a week more than earnings rules over a year’? Time for major reform of #AdultSocialCare under the new PM Andy Burnham. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Many carers hit with demands to repay more than £20,000 despite reforms

Data shows 32,559 earnings-related overpayments in 2025-26 after DWP’s measures to end carer’s allowance scandal

theguardian.com

West Sussex County Council in partnership with NHS Surrey and Sussex has launched a new strategy for supporting unpaid carers in the county over the next five years. We greatly value carers for the work they do, which supports the care system. www.westsussex.gov.uk/news/recogni...

Recognised, seen and involved: a new strategy for West Sussex’s unpaid carers - West Sussex County Council

westsussex.gov.uk

Last night My Fair Lady opened at @chichesterft.bsky.social in an imaginative recreation of the musical. The talented cast, musicians, production team brought the audience to its feet in a standing ovation. With A Little Bit Of Luck, you can get a ticket! www.cft.org.uk/news/my-fair...

First look: My Fair Lady production photos | Chichester Festival Theatre

We’ll never know what made it so exciting… our musical is officially open and our summer has truly begun here at CFT! Scroll through the production photos

cft.org.uk

Great to see at today’s PMQs @alisonebennett.bsky.social asking Starmer if he will require water utilities to confirm they have capacity before new housing developments get planning approval. 👏

Thank you for calling for a minister for coastal communities, @steffanaquarone.bsky.social And thank you @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social for signing the letter.

Steff Aquarone MP@steffanaquarone.bsky.social · 3w ago

Britain is an island 🇬🇧 So why don't we have a Coastal Minister? Today, I've written to the incoming PM repeating my calls for one who can fight for the investment, jobs & opportunities our coastal communities deserve. It's time the coast had a voice at the heart of Government.