Social Care Working Group Relaunch: In Conversation with Sally Warren
Sally shared her initial reflections on the role, the department’s immediate priorities, and her views on future reform. The conversation provided members with a rare opportunity to engage directly with government on how technology can help transform adult social care, enhance lives, and ease pressure on the broader health system.
In her opening remarks, Sally outlined four main priorities that will steer DHSC’s work over the next few years. The first is implementing reforms within this Parliament. With less than four years left, the focus must be on improvements that can be made immediately. She discussed the need to connect what often appears as a patchwork of policies into a clearer and more coherent story of reform, ensuring that providers, commissioners, and the public all understand how the different parts fit together.
Her second priority is preparing for the Casey Review. Although the Commission is entirely independent from government, it is expected to report interim findings in 2026 and final recommendations in 2028. Sally was clear that the department must be ready to act on its recommendations rather than waiting passively. That means starting the work now to build the capacity and structures needed to deliver large-scale reform when the time comes.
She also emphasised the importance of engagement. Social care is a complex, fragmented system, and DHSC has not always been visible or accessible to its partners. Sally is determined that the department does more to listen and respond to those working in the sector, recognising that reform will only succeed if it is shaped by the people and organisations who deliver and rely on care every day. Finally, she reflected on the merger between DHSC and NHS England, describing it as both a challenge and an opportunity. The merger should not relegate social care to the margins but embed it at the heart of the department’s new digital and data functions, ensuring reform is coherent across health and care.
The discussion with members covered a broad range of issues. One frequent question was how the government can balance the urgency of quick wins with the ambition for long-term change. Sally recognised that tough choices will need to be made, and that priorities must be aligned with reforms that can deliver measurable improvements within the next 12 to 18 months, such as the roll-out of digital records and more integrated discharge processes.
Integration was another major theme, especially regarding how social care reforms will coordinate with Integrated Care Systems and new devolved structures. Sally explained that regional mayors and combined authorities will increasingly have a seat at the table alongside ICSs, while local place-based partnerships remain central to delivery. The creation of Neighbourhood Health Services, she argued, presents a real opportunity for social care and health to collaborate at community level. Members also raised questions about safeguarding and multi-agency working, emphasising the importance of involving police, housing, and other partners. Sally recognised these concerns and committed to ensuring that cross-agency collaboration is integrated into reform planning.
Digital and data sharing was perhaps the strongest theme throughout the conversation. Members emphasised the importance of interoperability and secure data sharing, with Sally agreeing that better data is the “glue of the system”. She explained that information needs to flow seamlessly if staff are to make safe decisions, if care is to be coordinated across settings, and if preventative services are to become the norm. She also discussed the potential of predictive analytics, assistive technologies, and smart home solutions to give people more independence and reduce demand on acute services.
When asked about outcomes, Sally was clear that independence should be the guiding principle, supported by high-quality care and good value for money. She argued that technology must not simply digitise what already exists, but enable a genuine rethink of what care looks like. Prevention was central to her remarks. The most cost-effective service, she said, is often the one that prevents the need for crisis intervention altogether, but current funding flows make it difficult to shift resources into preventative approaches. Changing these financial structures will be essential if reform is to succeed.
Finally, members asked how DHSC will assist the sector in overcoming cultural barriers to change. Sally agreed that culture is often the biggest obstacle. She pointed to the Neighbourhood Health Service pilots as an example of how the department is trying to support cultural change differently, through communities of practice, shared learning, and empowering local leaders to innovate without waiting for permission.
The session emphasised how essential digital technology and innovation are to the future of adult social care. It also highlighted the importance of collaboration between government, providers, technology suppliers, and local communities. For the Social Care Working Group, it laid a strong foundation for the next phase of activity as members work together to shape outputs that influence national reform and showcase the value of CareTech.
