Right now, our thoughts are with the staff and volunteers at Healthwatch England and its 150 local branches who face an uncertain future. We’ll wait to see what the Dash review says to understand what this means for patient voice.

As a member of the CSA, we are looking forward to joining them tomorrow for their event in Parliament. #ShowUsYouCare

Commissioner for Older People Bill: older people, carers, third sector organisations, and anyone with an interest please share your views. Details in comments 👇 Independent Age Hourglass (Safer Ageing) Age Scotland Parkinson's UK Scotland Scottish Care

Five great people with Age UK ‘s wonderful friend Rasila, who is so generous with her time as a campaigner for a social care system that works for everyone, quite rightly in the middle!

I attended #ShowUsYouCare event in parliament where I met my constituent, Jack Hassan, to discuss his experiences living with a disability and the social care services available to him. We talked about the need for flexible social care that supports everyone.

Was a very good session if a bit too focused on the comms side of spad-dom - we policy types left out a bit. Well done Sam White. And for another angle into spad world, do read my book of short stories amazon.co.uk/Tales-Unelecte…

A breach of 'rights' and a 'fundamental failure of Government'. This is how Caroline Abrahams CBE, of Age UK (now @age_uk), has described the government's decision to discharge Covid patients into care homes during the pandemic. Nobody has yet taken responsibility for that deadly policy.

Today the Government launched the Civil Society Covenant. We welcome the recognition of the vital role of local orgs like Local Age UKs in supporting communities and this first step to partnership working including looking at key issues like commissioning: bit.ly/4lvy8RP

A positive sign that there may be life in the government's social care & care funding reform agenda. Sally unlikely to let it slide without fighting (and knows the issue inside out)

Our new survey showed the financial challenges councils face as more people draw on complex social care. We warned that without adequate funding for adult social care, the Government’s ambition to shift from hospital to community won’t be realised. adass.org.uk/documents/adas…

Our Director Caroline Abrahams reflects on the “terrible” toll of care home visiting bans during the pandemic: “For those receiving palliative care, the absence of support led some to die faster than would otherwise have been the case.” Watch here 👇 youtu.be/W1v_Jqybkd0

Really looking forward to our concert tomorrow evening at 6! A blend of Nigerian gospel and classical music. Hope to see you there!

The article explains that c.1 in 3 care pros are from abroad & Americans don’t want to do the job as they can earn more for less demanding roles in retail & hospitality. Sounds familiar! nytimes.com/2025/07/18/us/… via @NYTimes

Great to be at the launch of the Govt’s Pensions Commission today - it’s got a really important job to do in advising on the policies which mean tomorrow’s pensioners can look forward to a decent lifestyle in retirement.

Today, the Government announced they're reviving the Pensions Commission. We warmly welcome the Pensions Review, which has the potential to lay the foundations for a system of retirement saving that's fit for the future. Read our statement: bit.ly/4f1egDU

More than three-quarters of our Directors in our annual survey have seen an increase in unpaid carers approaching councils for support in the past year as the impact on caring takes its toll on their health, wellbeing & finances. Read our full report. adass.org.uk/documents/adas…

Solicitors representing Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK offer a weekly podcast discussing witnesses UK Covid-19 Inquiry I was delighted to be asked to be part of the week 3 discussion (includes Dr Jane Townson OBE Caroline Abrahams Helena Herklots Helen Whately MP ) with Lorelei King youtube.com/watch?v=M05xod…

Thank you, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, for reaching out today and for your support for World Health Organization (WHO) colleagues in #Gaza and our lifesaving work. We need Member States’ help to ensure we can access health facilities and deliver health aid.

Thanks to Big Issue for featuring our piece on the new Pensions Commission; why Independent Age hope it'll be a game changer for future pensioners, and why we still think system change is needed for people currently experiencing poverty in later life: bigissue.com/opinion/pensio…

RIP Malcolm, a thoroughly good guy and one of our most important and active of social policy journos for a long time. Malcolm Dean obituary theguardian.com/media/2025/jul…