Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timeline is for implementation of a National Care Service.

The Government is committed to building a National Care Service based on clear, consistent national standards, that will improve the quality of care. On 10 October 2024, recognising the central role of our care workforce, we took a critical step, introducing the legislation that will establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals.

We will set out the next steps in due course for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders, including cross-party members and a diverse range of people with lived experience of care, to build consensus towards a National Care Service.