News McGovern takes social care brief as reform agenda gathers pace
Alison McGovern has taken over the adult social care brief at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), as the government steps up work on a reform programme that includes an acceleration of Baroness Casey’s independent commission report towards the creation of a National Care Service, and a wider workforce reform programme. The Birkenhead MP and former local
government and homelessness minister took over the brief from Stephen Kinnock, who was moved to the role of Secretary of State for Wales after Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in the summer. Her portfolio includes adult social care, hospital discharge, frailty and dementia, end of life care, disabilities, mental health and the government’s work and health agenda. The appointment comes after Mr Burnham
used an early speech in his premiership to commit to prioritising long-promised social care reform. At a speech in a Jewish Care north London home in July, Mr Burnham described decades of failure to reform adult social care as a “major dereliction of public duty” and pledged to bring forward the timetable for recommendations from the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. He said the commission’s final report will
now be expected in 2027, a year earlier than previously planned, with ministers aiming to use the findings to help shape a National
Care Service. Baroness Casey has launched an eight month consultation, dubbed The Big Conversation, aiming to gather over a million contributions as part of her work towards new funding and delivery proposals. The government has also signalled
a broader programme of workforce reform alongside ongoing work towards implementation of the Fair Pay Agreement, with a focus on training, career development and closer integration with NHS services. The direction of travel has received a
largely positive response from sector leaders, many of whom welcomed the decision
to prioritise social care early in the new administration’s term. However, providers have stressed that ambitions on workforce improvement and system transformation must be backed by sustainable funding. Care England chief executive Professor
Martin Green OBE said the sector would want to see the government’s stated ambitions matched by clear plans for delivery and funding. Meanwhile, the National Care Forum welcomed efforts to build cross-party consensus around reform, while Skills for Care highlighted the importance of workforce development, training and career progression in delivering meaningful change.
September 2026
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Andy Burnham ©House of Commons Alison McGovern ©House of Commons Art: Steve Dillon
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