The problems of social care in English nursing and residential homes for older people and the role of state regulation

The problems facing English care homes for older people have largely been defined in terms of funding. This paper starts from the position that it is vitally important also to address the big issue of the social care system, especially the changing nature of private provision since the introduction of a quasi-market almost three decades ago, such that large corporations have become increasingly dominant. The paper focuses on the implications of a fragmented, for-profit system of provision for financial sustainability and care quality, particularly in terms of workforce issues. It argues that heavy reliance on regulation via the market and operating through competition and choice is misplaced and that state regulation can play a crucial part in securing improvement in these fields. It concludes that the Government’s recent (2021) proposals, which are mainly confined to funding and designed to prop up the current system, are unlikely to provide the ‘long-term fix’ that social care needs.