We welcome the government’s commitment to social care reform.

For too long, concerns regarding how people will fund care for themselves or their loved ones has led to many putting off crucial decisions about their care needs. For many years we have called for a cap on individual care costs and are delighted these will form part of social care reform.

We now look forward to working with the government to help shape reforms which recognise the tremendous skill of the social care workforce and also the key role of retirement housing in improving health and wellbeing outcomes amongst older people.

However, these reforms will take some time to implement, and older people needing care and support today face a severe lack of services due to the significant workforce challenges in the sector.

As in the NHS, support is needed to retain the fabulous people who have worked so hard in social care through the last 18 months, and to bring more people with compassion, commitment and talent into this sector to build back better.

JANE ASHCROFT CBE

Chief Executive of Anchor Hanover, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people