Social Care Institute for Excellence publish report on national standards of care
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has published a report – supported by The Access Group – entitled, ‘Towards a National Care Service: raising national standards of care’.
The report, which focuses on England, advocates for national standards to form the basis of a National Care Service. The content of the report was informed by roundtables that were held in the autumn of 2025 involving policymakers, providers, people with lived experience, researchers and carers.
The report proposes a framework of principles, mechanisms and system conditions required for national standards to meaningfully improve access, quality and equity in adult social care, with seven foundational principles to underpin the standards of care:
- Adopting a rights‑based definition of social care
- Embedding co‑production and lived experience
- Outcomes and evidence metrics that reflect what matters to people, not just what is measurable for care systems or providers
- Early intervention and integration as core system behaviours
- Aiming for a care system that is fair and equitable to all
- A system that is easy to understand and navigate
- A system that delivers high-quality care while using resources efficiently and sustainably.
You can read the report here: https://www.scie.org.uk/app/uploads/2026/01/Towards-a-national-care-service-raising-national-standards-of-care-_FULL-REPORT_FINAL.pdf