Health minister Stephen Kinnock said the Government is ramping up funding for at-home support while a major commission into the adult social care system is carried out
A top minister has promised Labour is “not sitting on our hands” on adult social care despite pensioners facing a years-long wait for urgent reforms.
Stephen Kinnock said the Government is ramping up funding for at-home support while a major commission into the in-crisis system is carried out.
The health minister admitted he “absolutely recognises” the financial difficulty families face, with people still forced to sell their homes to pay for care home fees. But giving hope to people, he said Baroness Casey’s Care Commission may conclude earlier than 2028 – the current deadline.
In an interview with The Mirror, Mr Kinnock said: “(Baroness Casey) has to complete all of the work by 2028. It may well be that she’s able to do it more rapidly, and I know she’s reaching out to other political parties… What I would also say is we’re not sitting on our hands waiting for Louise Casey to do her work.”
The adult social care minister said Labour has “been putting fires out all over the place” after inheriting a health and care system on its knees but that work is already happening to improve the situation.
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He is today announcing an additional £50million cash injection for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in 2025-26, which could support around 5,000 more people to install vital home adaptations such as stairlifts, ramps and accessible bathrooms. It takes the scheme’s total funding for the year to £761million and illustrates ministers’ commitment for more disabled and elderly people to get support to stay in their homes, relieving pressures on hospitals.
Mr Kinnock, who visited a couple in Brighton last week who benefitted from the grant scheme, said he saw how home adaptations can be a “lifeline” for families. “I think it also is a real win for the system more broadly because of course we want people to be cared for at home,” he said. “That’s where people would like to stay, if they can.”
Mr Kinnock also pointed to a £4.6billion uplift to local authorities around the country on adult social care by 2028-29, which includes £500million for the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to boost recruitment and retention in the workforce.
The Government launched the commission last year(2025) after Labour scrapped an election vow to introduce an £86,000 cap on lifetime care costs due to the state of the finances left behind by the Tories.
Today, the NHS website still recommends that sometimes selling your home to pay care home fees is the “best option”. Pressed on the issue, Mr Kinnock told The Mirror: “I absolutely recognise how difficult it is, how people love their parents, their relatives, they want to look after them, and I know that it’s financially very difficult. As I say, we inherited a health and care system that was on its knees.
“This issue has been neglected and kicked into the long grass for far too long, and we’ve got to solve it. We have to address this issue.”
He reiterated his promise for a cross-party approach to the care commission to stop the “weaponisation” of the issue during election periods. “One of the big challenges that we’ve had around the funding of adult social care is that it’s ended up getting weaponised by different political parties,” he said. “And frankly, my party is just as guilty as others…We need to change that.
“That’s why we’re trying to build cross-party consensus around this issue, and that is what Louise is working on but what I would also say is we’re not sitting on our hands waiting for Louise Casey to do her work.”
Ministers have faced criticism amid reports the commission has only met once since it was set up last January. But Mr Kinnock defended this and insisted Baroness Casey had been gathering evidence from across the country.
He added: “We’ve been putting fires out all over the place frankly. Hopefully we’re getting on top of the issue and now we can start to build for the future.”