Health bosses have 'ignored dementia' for years amid failure to overhaul social care system, Whitehall troubleshooter in charge of review into fixing it says

Published: 16:22, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 16:25, 7 July 2026 Health bosses have effectively ‘ignored dementia’ for years amid the failure to overhaul the social care system, the Whitehall troubleshooter in charge of a review into fixing it said today. Baroness Louise Casey said the current ‘patchwork’ system meant accessing care for elderly relatives had become ‘almost impossible’ for many struggling families. As she made the case for a combined health and social care service, the crossbench peer called for a ‘moment of reckoning’ that finally overhauls the system after 22 previous reviews over nearly three decades failed to spark change. It came as she delivered a keynote speech this afternoon at the annual conference of town halls in England and Wales, where she unveiled that her team will launch an open conversation with the public asking how they think the system should change. Ahead of the speech, she said: ‘If somebody has really significant dementia for ten to 15 years, you might need a bit of help. ‘And the system at the moment makes help almost impossible. ‘The burden on families to navigate their way through this incredibly difficult multiple systems of “do you have any money or not - local authority? Do you need help or not - local authority? NHS - is it a disease, is it fixable, what should we do about it?” Baroness Louise Casey said health bosses had effectively ‘ignored dementia’ for years amid the failure to overhaul the social care system  Andy Burnham has spoken recently about the prospect of a potential new care levy to pay for an overhaul of the social care system, raising the prosect of tax hikes if he becomes PM  Earlier this year Baroness Casey indicated that, as part of her commission, she will ask whether reforms proposed by Sir Andrew Dilnot, pictured, more than a decade ago should be enacted  ‘They’ve ignored dementia, really, put bluntly, for quite a long time. ‘And let alone the welfare benefits system. All of it was developed in silos and in parallel, which makes it almost impossible for the general public to work their way through it.' Speaking to the BBC, she added it was ‘really important’ Labour sticks to its manifesto promise of creating a National Care Service amid ongoing uncertainty over what Andy Burnham, expected to be the new Prime Minister within weeks, will do once in No 10. She said she was ‘of the view we need a national health and care service’, adding that ‘everything is on the table’ in terms of how it should be paid for. It raises the prospect of more tax hikes, as Mr Burnham has spoken recently about the prospect of a potential new care levy. Speaking at the Local Government Association conference, Baroness Casey added: ‘We cannot keep pretending that a few tweaks will fix adult social care or attempt major reform without the public’s backing. ‘Without that honest conversation with the nation about the difficult choices involved, we will be back here again and again.’ Baroness Casey told MPs last month that her interim report later this year will suggest some ‘quite big’ changes to the system and said while her final report is expected by 2028, the overall work might be completed sooner. Labour faced criticism after it was elected in 2024 for immediately scrapping plans, drawn up by the previous Tory government, for an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime. At present, people with savings worth more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with the cost of care from their local council, meaning some are forced to plunder their life savings to pay for their care. On the opening day of the conference, the LGA set out a new report suggesting consideration must be given to whether council tax remains a suitable way to fund adult social care. Following what it branded ‘decades of political indecision and delay to address social care funding’, the LGA said it is calling on the Government to make the case to the public for a national funding solution. The intervention comes amid the Daily Mail and Alzheimer's Society partnering in a drive to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year. The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.