National Care Service: What the Government's New Social Care Plans Mean?
social care in England is heading for its biggest change in a generation. On 29 September 2026, Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out plans for a National Care Service, with free personal care for older people at its heart. Days later, the government confirmed a national pension scheme for care workers and a new workforce action plan.
For care employers, recruiters and anyone thinking about a career in care, the message is clear. The sector is moving towards a better-valued, better-supported workforce, and that will shape how care roles are advertised, filled and developed in the years ahead.
What has been announced?
The National Care Service would be created in the next Parliament and built on the same principles as the NHS: everyone contributes and everyone is covered.
Its centrepiece is free personal care for people aged over 65. This covers essential everyday support such as help with washing, eating and using the toilet. Means-tested council contributions towards accommodation and food in care homes would remain.
The service is expected to be introduced in phases. Baroness Casey's independent commission will recommend how and when, with its report due in summer 2027. The government has said funding will come from savings made by adjusting the State Pension triple lock from April 2030. Nothing changes for people paying for care today.
Alongside this, the government will develop a workforce action plan for adult social care. It will bring together existing commitments with new measures to improve pay, terms and conditions, and to better value the people who deliver care. No publication date has been set yet.
What could change for care workers?
The headline workforce measure is a national collective pension scheme designed specifically for care workers. It is intended to give staff greater security in retirement and make care a more attractive long-term career.
The workforce action plan is also expected to cover career progression, training and specialist skills. It will build on the Care Workforce Pathway, the national career structure for adult social care. The pathway now spans eight role categories, from 'new to care' through to enhanced care worker, deputy manager and registered manager, setting out the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours needed at each stage.
For jobseekers, this means clearer routes from an entry-level care role into senior, specialist, nursing or leadership positions. For employers, it raises the bar: candidates will increasingly expect to see what progression genuinely looks like before they apply.
Pay is moving too. The Fair Pay Agreement, backed by £500 million of government investment and negotiated through the new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, sits alongside these reforms. We covered it in more detail in August.
What does it mean for recruitment?
The reforms arrive as the recruitment landscape shifts. Skills for Care's latest workforce report shows the adult social care vacancy rate fell to 6.2% in 2025/26, its lowest since 2015/16. That is still around 96,000 vacancies on any given day, and roughly three times the rate of the wider economy.
The workforce grew for a fourth consecutive year, adding 22,000 filled posts. However, at 1.4% this was the slowest growth in four years. With the dedicated visa route for care workers removed, new international recruits fell to 30,000, down from 105,000 in 2023/24. Posts filled by British workers also fell by 40,000 in a single year.
Looking ahead, the sector is projected to need a further 410,000 posts by 2040. Attracting and keeping people from the domestic workforce has never mattered more. Transparent pay, quality training, flexible working, wellbeing support and real progression are no longer nice extras. They are the recruitment offer.
What should care employers do now?
There is no need to wait for every detail to be finalised. The direction of travel is clear, and providers who act early will stand out to candidates. Practical steps include:
- Make pay, hours, training and progression routes clear in every job advert.
- Highlight pension provision, wellbeing support and flexible working.
- Show how staff can progress into senior, specialist or leadership roles, using the Care Workforce Pathway as a guide.
- Build a stronger employer brand around the difference your team makes every day.
- Review induction, supervision and development support to improve retention.
As the sector moves towards a National Care Service, employers who can show stability, support and genuine career development will be best placed to attract the right people.
A positive moment for care careers
For anyone considering a move into social care, these plans make the sector a more appealing long-term choice. A National Care Service, a dedicated pension and clearer career pathways could help care work become better recognised, better supported and more secure.
At Work Healthcare, we will keep following the reforms as more detail emerges. In the meantime, explore the latest care assistant, senior care worker, registered nurse and care management vacancies across the UK. Hiring? Advertise your care roles on Work Healthcare and reach candidates who are ready for their next step.
Sources
- Department of Health and Social Care, The future of adult social care: the National Care Service, free personal care and the workforce action plan, 9 October 2026
- House of Commons Library, Adult social care reform in England, October 2026
- Disability News Service, Free social care is coming, but only if you're over 65, 1 October 2026
- British Healthcare Trades Association, National Care Service plans set out free personal care for older people, 1 October 2026
- The Carer, Government announces national collective pension scheme for care workers, September 2026
- Browne Jacobson, Prime Minister's speech on National Care Service: legal comment, 1 October 2026
- Department of Health and Social Care, Care workforce pathway for adult social care
- Skills for Care, The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, 2025/26, June 2026
- LocalGov, Social care vacancy rate falls to decade low but challenges ahead, 24 June 2026
- The Care Workers' Charity via Tomorrow's Care, Response to Skills for Care's latest workforce report, June 2026
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