Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to create a National Care Service; and what his planned timetable is for this.

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 amazing 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.