Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulations to limit the influence of external investors on operational and care-related decisions within privately owned adult social care providers.

The Government continues to assess the adult social care market and monitor risks to provider viability and continuity of care. We welcome investment that supports high-quality, sustainable care, while expecting all providers and investors to act responsibly, including in their financial arrangements, and to support appropriate reinvestment in the care sector.

Baroness Casey’s Independent Commission on Adult Social Care is developing proposals for a National Care Service. The Prime Minister has given her a broad scope which includes the market for care provision. The Government will consider its recommendations when its final report is received next summer.