Care Forum Wales Manifesto 2026

CARE FORUM WALES | MANIFESTO

PARITY FOR SOCIAL CARE

A COMMON-SENSE APPROACH TO THE REBALANCING AGENDA

We support the Welsh Local Government Association’s call for equal status between social care and the NHS. This means parity of esteem, recognition, and investment. Campaigns like We Care Wales are vital in raising the profile of the sector, but more must be done to ensure care workers feel like equal partners. Too often social care funding comes in the shape of grants, particularly for preventative models, innovation and to support the rebalancing agenda. Grant- based funding is not sustainable. It does not meet the urgency or scale of the challenge. We call on the Welsh Government to move beyond rhetoric and commit to a fairer share of funding for social care, delivered through core funding so that local authorities can commission regulated care services that support people in the community and allow the NHS to focus on clinical care.

Social care is essential to the health system. As former First Minister Mark Drakeford said, it is the scaffolding that holds up the NHS. It prevents unnecessary hospital stays, supports independence, and ensures better outcomes for individuals and communities. Social care and health services are deeply interdependent. When social care is underfunded, hospital beds are occupied by people who would be better supported in the community. This leads to poorer outcomes and longer waiting times for those with clinical needs. Despite clear evidence that investing in social care reduces pressure on the NHS, funding remains inconsistent. Health boards often under-assess needs or underfund providers, shifting costs to individuals or local authorities and contributing to delayed discharges.

The rebalancing agenda was meant to strengthen and diversify care provision, ensuring long-term sustainability and reducing reliance on any single provider. It aimed to support models that deliver added social, economic, and cultural value. However, in practice, it risks creating instability. In some areas, public bodies use their control over funding and placements to compete directly with independent providers. This often results in higher costs and fewer referrals for small providers, many of whom are family- run and operating at a loss. Instead of supporting a mixed economy, this approach can push providers out of the market and reduce choice for citizens at a greater cost.

Rebalancing should be about collaboration, not replacement. Most care businesses in Wales are motivated by care, not profit, and deserve fair treatment. Public investment must be used to build capacity across the sector, not to create monopolies or disadvantage ethical providers. We invite the Welsh Government and local authorities to work with providers to create a stable and diverse care system. This includes fair funding, transparent commissioning, and consistent workforce standards. Mixed messages around regulation and the promotion of unregulated roles such as micro carers risk creating a two-tier system that undermines public confidence and safety. Let us rebalance care with common sense, shared purpose, and mutual respect.