This Committee has warned before that the Department lacked an effective overall strategy or plan to integrate health and care and that poor outcomes could arise as a result.29 As Care England told us, for too long “adult social care has been kicked into the long grass by governments of all stripes.”30 Despite numerous white papers, green papers, consultations, and independent reviews over the past 20 years, meaningful integration of health and social care was yet to occur going into the pand...

This Committee has warned before that the Department lacked an effective overall strategy or plan to integrate health and care and that poor outcomes could arise as a result.29 As Care England told us, for too long “adult social care has been kicked into the long grass by governments of all stripes.”30 Despite numerous white papers, green papers, consultations, and independent reviews over the past 20 years, meaningful integration of health and social care was yet to occur going into the pandemic.31 The Department noted that the experience with COVID-19 had heightened the need for reform.32 Type: conclusion | Number: 12 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 3: PAC conclusion: This pandemic has shown the tragic impact of delaying much needed social care reform, and instead treating the sector as the NHS’s poor relation.