Shropshire residents urged to take part in national conversation on the future of adult social care
News from our partners: Independent Commission on Adult Social Care (Casey Commission).
Shropshire residents are being encouraged to take part in The Big Conversation on Care, a major national conversation launched by Baroness Casey of Blackstock to help shape the future of adult social care in England.
Adult social care affects thousands of people and families across Shropshire every day, including older people, disabled adults, unpaid carers, families and the dedicated care workers who support them. The conversation gives people the chance to say what they want and expect from a future National Care Service, including who it should support, what role families should reasonably play, and how care should be paid for in a fair and sustainable way.
The Big Conversation will run until April 2027 and is open to everyone. People can take part online at caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/ (Credit: Independent Commission on Adult Social Care)
The issue is especially important for Shropshire. As a large, rural county with an ageing population, the council faces growing demand for care and rising costs at a time when local authority finances are under severe pressure. Social care for adults and children accounts for around two-thirds of Shropshire Council’s total spending, meaning decisions about the future of care will have a direct impact on residents, families, council services and local public finances.
Councillor Ruth Houghton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for social care and public health, said:
“This is a really important opportunity for people in Shropshire to have their say on one of the biggest issues facing our country, and I would strongly urge residents to take part.
“Adult social care supports some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. It helps people live independently, supports families and carers, and protects people when they are most in need. But it is also one of the biggest financial pressures facing councils like ours.
“In Shropshire, social care already accounts for about two-thirds of everything the council spends. Our ageing population, the size and rural nature of the county, and the rising cost of providing care all make this challenge more acute. These are not abstract figures — they affect real people, real families and the services residents rely on.
“That is why it is vital that the voices of Shropshire residents are heard. We need a care system that is fair, sustainable and properly reflects the needs of rural communities like ours. Please take a few minutes to share your views and help shape what comes next.”
The Big Conversation will run until April 2027 and is open to everyone. People can take part online at caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/
Baroness Casey of Blackstock said:
“For too long, we have been stuck in the same cycle: crisis, promises of reform, another review, and then retreat, while the people who need care, and their families, bear the brunt.
“Social care affects every family in this country: whether we need care ourselves, care for someone we love, work in care, or pay for it through our taxes.
“That’s why have launched The Big Conversation on Care. I want people across England to help us face the hard questions about how we can build a National Care Service. It is only by listening to the public that we can build the agreement needed for lasting reform.”
The Big Conversation will aim to engage with one million people across England. It is open to everyone through a new online platform which has launched today at caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/, starting the conversation by asking people: when we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?
The Big Conversation will conclude by April 2027. Baroness Casey has agreed to provide the Independent Commission’s recommendations by summer 2027.
Notes to editors
- The Big Conversation on Care will be delivered by Baroness Louise Casey as part of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.
- The public can take part through a new online platform from today caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/
- The Big Conversation will run in two phases. The first phase of the conversation, from July to November, will ask people about the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support. The second will focus on how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered.
- For media enquiries on the Independent Commission please email enquiries@caseycommission.co.uk.
- In March, Baroness Casey recommended the Government take six immediate actions on dementia, motor neurone disease and adult safeguarding due to the urgency of the reform needed in these areas. Her recommendations can be found here: https://caseycommission.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Baroness-Casey-letter-to-Rt-Hon-Wes-Streeting-MP-March-2026.pdf
- For media enquiries on the Independent Commission’s Terms of Reference or the Government’s response to the Commission and its recommendations, please email DHSC at press.office@dhsc.gov.uk.
