The NHS and social care are two essential parts of the same system, but they are not funded or valued in the same way.
Although their budgets are not directly comparable, the difference in scale is significant. NHS England’s revenue resource limit for 2025/26 is approximately £208 billion, while local authorities in England spent £34.5 billion on adult social care during 2024/25.
Social Care Is an Essential Service
Social care helps people remain safe, independent and connected to their communities. It can include support with:
• Washing, dressing and eating
• Taking medication
• Moving around safely
• Living independently at home
• Accessing residential or nursing care
• Supporting unpaid family carers
However, too many people struggle to get the help they need. Age UK estimates that around two million people aged 65 and over in England are living with some level of unmet need for care and support.
Why Does the NHS Receive More Attention?
Hospitals, ambulances and waiting lists are highly visible, so NHS pressures are often at the centre of political debate.
Social care is less visible. Much of it takes place behind closed doors in people’s homes, care homes and local communities. The pressure is often absorbed by relatives who provide unpaid care or try to manage without enough professional support.
But social care should not be treated as separate from the NHS. When one part of the system struggles, the other feels the consequences.
Better Social Care Could Reduce Pressure on Hospitals
Investment in social care can help prevent avoidable hospital admissions and allow people to leave hospital safely when they are ready.
In March 2025, limited social care capacity and delays in arranging transfers to social care accounted for 23% of delayed discharges among people who had spent at least 14 days in an acute hospital. NHS England also reported an average of around 12,633 patients experiencing delayed discharge each day during 2024/25.
This means hospital beds can remain occupied by people who no longer need hospital treatment but cannot leave because the right support is not available at home or in the community.
Stronger social care could therefore help:
• Keep more people well and independent at home
• Prevent some avoidable hospital admissions
• Support safer and quicker hospital discharge
• Reduce pressure on hospital beds and NHS staff
• Give families greater confidence and support
Health and Social Care Must Work Together
Funding social care properly is not about taking money away from the NHS. It is about recognising that neither system can work effectively without the other.
A hospital may treat someone’s immediate medical problem, but social care is often what helps them recover, return home and continue living safely.
If care is unavailable, delayed or unaffordable, the effects are felt by individuals, families, unpaid carers and the NHS itself.
What Does This Mean for You and Your Family?
Many families only discover the limitations of the social care system when a parent, partner or loved one suddenly needs support.
By then, they may be trying to understand assessments, funding rules and care options during an already emotional and stressful time.
A fairer, better-funded system would give people:
• Earlier access to help
• More choice and control
• Better support at home
• Greater consistency between different areas
• Less pressure on family and unpaid carers
Many of us will need some form of care during our lives. It is reasonable to expect that suitable support will be available when that time comes.
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