A monthly round-up by Florence V.
Welcome to your monthly digest of the biggest stories from the social care world.
❌ 100,000 Adults Denied State-Funded Care
A major new report from the Nuffield Trust revealed that nearly 100,000 adults were turned away from state-funded social care this year due to stretched council budgets. Many were left without any formal support at all.
- Care England warned of a looming provider funding gap of £3 billion
- Unmet need continues to fall on unpaid carers, particularly working-class women
- Campaigners say the system is at breaking point and call for urgent national action
📰 Read the full story in The Guardian
🧑⚕️ Public: “Care is as Essential as the NHS”
A new poll showed that four in five Britons believe social care should be treated with the same urgency and importance as the NHS.
- Support was strongest among over-65s
- Campaigners say this reflects public readiness for proper reform
📊 June Stats: Calm Surface, Deeper Storm?
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published its June dashboard. Highlights included:
- 🛏️ 85.7% occupancy in care homes
- 👪 99.3% of care homes open to visitors
- 😷 Staff absence due to COVID at 0.0%–0.1%
⚠️ Autistic Woman’s Death Prompts Safeguarding Review
A Safeguarding Adults Review found that Helen Burnell, 60, died in 2019 after staff at Somerset Court failed to follow a choking risk plan requiring her food to be cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Helen had lived at Somerset Court for over 40 years; her eating and drinking care plan had been developed in 2018 but was not accessible to frontline staff
- The National Autistic Society has accepted the review’s findings and says it has since strengthened training and oversight
- The case highlights critical gaps in information sharing, oversight, and safe transitions between health and social care systems
Somerset Court, where Helen lived, is now closing. The review stated:
“Out of sight and out of mind is never going to be right — and nationally this needs to be improved as a matter of urgency.”
🛡️ Kent Launches New Prevention Framework
Kent County Council opened consultation on its Adult Social Care Prevention Strategy, aiming to reduce future need through:
- Earlier intervention and signposting
- Working with communities, families and voluntary groups
- Outcome-focused services and tech-enabled care
📰 Have your say on the framework
🧑⚖️ Home Office Lacks Oversight of Migrant Care Workers
A Public Accounts Committee report found that the Home Office does not track whether overseas care workers leave the country when their visas expire. This has raised red flags about:
- Sponsorship system abuse
- Worker exploitation
- The need for ethical recruitment reform
📰 Read the coverage in The Times
🏛️ Dorset Social Care Shake-Up Reconsidered After Public Protest
Dorset Council is “re-evaluating” proposed changes to day support services after strong feedback from people who use services, their families, and local campaigners.
- Concerns were raised that some centres could close or see reduced services
- Families warned that moving services would break up vital social networks and remove critical respite support for carers
- The council now says no decisions have been made, and will consider consultation feedback in June and July, with a final decision expected in the autumn
📚 Larry Lamb Surprises Suffolk Care Home
EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey star Larry Lamb paid an unexpected visit to Langham Manor care home in Stowmarket while promoting his new book.
- He spoke to each resident individually and signed over a dozen copies of All Wrapped Up
- One resident cried with joy, another is still showing off her signed copy
- Staff called it “a lovely gesture” that left everyone beaming
🏠 Somerset Court Closes After 50 Years of Autistic Care
The first known residential campus for autistic adults in the UK, Somerset Court, has closed after five decades. Run by the National Autistic Society (NAS), the site once housed up to 35 people in supported homes across a converted manor estate.
- The NAS cited outdated buildings and a shift towards supported living models as the reason for closure
- While some residents have settled into new homes nearby, others have faced distress and upheaval
- Families expressed mixed emotions, with some calling the closure a betrayal after decades of commitment, fundraising, and belief that Somerset Court would be a “home for life”
“He hasn’t put his slippers on yet — I think he’s waiting for them to go back and pick him up.” – Dawn Quelch, mother of former resident Frazer
Scotland
🇮🇹 Glasgow Care Home Residents Earn Italian Qualification
Residents at St Francis Care Home in Govan — many in their 80s and 90s and living with dementia — recently completed a 10‑week Italian course and sat an official SQA assessment.
- Sessions were run in partnership with Lingo Flamingo, a charity specialising in language learning for older adults
- The lessons brought laughter, engagement, and a sense of achievement
- A celebratory ceremony marked the residents’ success
🏴 Scottish Social Care Reforms Scaled Back — But Still Significant
Scotland’s long-promised National Care Service was scrapped earlier this year, but in June MSPs voted to pass a scaled-back Care Reform (Scotland) Bill.
- The bill now focuses on key reforms: Anne’s Law, a legal right to respite for unpaid carers, and strengthened powers for care regulators
- Anne’s Law guarantees that people in care homes have the right to visits from a designated loved one, even during lockdown-style restrictions
- The bill also introduces new procurement rules, improved information sharing, and measures to improve consistency across councils
Though the ambition of a national care service was dropped after political and union opposition, the Scottish Government has pledged to pursue its aims through non-statutory advisory boards and service reforms.
International Care News
🌐 WHO: Social Connection is a Public Health Priority
A World Health Organization report in June 2025 revealed that loneliness and social isolation seriously impact health outcomes — contributing to an estimated 871,000 deaths annually, or roughly one death every six seconds worldwide.
- The WHO emphasised that strong social networks reduce risks of mortality, improve mental health, and lower incidence of chronic diseases
- The report urged governments and care providers to design services that foster community connections, not just clinical support
- This aligns with growing evidence in social care that community inclusion is as important as medical or personal care
Florence comments
In community and residential care, meaningful connection isn’t a “nice extra” — it’s clinical necessity. As we build policies and environments, embedding shared meals, group learning, and inter-generational links can save lives.
Closures like Somerset Court remind us that relational continuity is just as important as physical surroundings. When someone loses not just their home, but the staff who knew their routines, their local pub, or the karaoke night they never sang at — it’s not just a relocation. It’s bereavement, it’s disruption, and for some, it’s dangerous.
The WHO report on loneliness and early death confirms what families and care workers have long known: relationships are medicine. Our models of care must not just preserve them — they must prioritise them.
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