Care Sector Insight (17.03.2026)
Supported Housing: the missing link in social care reform
The Government has published statutory guidance for the delivery of supported housing in England. Neil Revely makes the case that supported housing is not a peripheral concern for adult social care but the foundation upon which good care depends. Without stable, appropriate housing, effective adult social care simply cannot be delivered. He sets out the key policy actions needed to put supported housing where it belongs: at the heart of policy, planning and investment decisions.
Neighbourhood health framework: what care providers need to know
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have published a new Neighbourhood Health Framework, setting out how ICBs, local authorities, health and wellbeing boards and other partners should design and deliver neighbourhood health services. The framework defines what neighbourhood health means in practice, identifies the challenges services must address, and establishes clear metrics for success. It also maps out the roles of each partner organisation in developing and implementing provision locally. For care providers working alongside NHS and local authority partners, this framework is likely to shape how integrated services are commissioned and evaluated at a neighbourhood level going forward.
Department of Health and Social Care
Adult Social Care Learning and Development Programme: guidance updated
The Department of Health and Social Care has updated its guidance and grant determination letters for the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Programme, covering the 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 funding periods. The update includes new information on claiming reimbursement for Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, including eligibility criteria, maximum reimbursement rates and evidence requirements. The scheme is available to eligible adult social care employers in England for non-regulated care staff, deputy managers, CQC-registered managers and agency staff. Updated guidance has also been published for the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment for newly qualified social workers, and for the User-Led Organisation Training Fund supporting personal assistants and individual employers.
Unions escalate action with joint letter to challenge 3.3% pay award in England
Fourteen unions have told the Westminster government that NHS staff feel “angry and let down”, and are urging their members to sign the letter.