What’s happening – latest news and events

Adult social care

The House of Lords’ Adult Social Care Committee was established in 2022 to consider how to improve the planning and delivery of adult social care services in England.

The committee launched a major inquiry, ‘Lifting the veil: Removing the invisibility of Adult Social Care’, in March 2022. The call for evidence, which had a section for family and unpaid carers to give their feedback, was completed on 27 May 2022. We're awaiting the results of the inquiry and will update this page once the results and recommendations are known.

Further reading on the enquiry can be found on the TUC website.

Healthcare (Delayed Discharges) Bill 2022

Section 91 of the Health and Care Act came into force on 1 July 2022. It revokes procedural requirements in Schedule 3 to the Care Act 2014 which require local authorities to carry out long-term health and care needs assessments, in relevant circumstances, before a patient is discharged from hospital.

Section 91 of the act also introduces a new duty for NHS trusts and foundation trusts to involve patients and carers (including young carers) in discharge planning. This applies in situations where an adult patient is likely to need care and support after their hospital discharge, and the trust considers it appropriate to involve them or their carers in planning that discharge. The new duty states that this should be done as soon as is feasible after the trust begins making any plans relating to the patient’s discharge.

Under this duty, a carer is defined as an individual who provides or intends to provide care for an adult, otherwise than by virtue of a contract or as voluntary work.