Last week, Hazlewoods Healthcare Partner, Stephanie Hayman, attended the LaingBuisson Social Care Summit in Westminster and shares her thoughts.
If there was one consistent theme throughout the day, it was this: social care is evolving, but not yet transforming at the pace it needs to.
Across sessions covering reform, investment, workforce, and the role of AI, the conversation kept circling back to a fundamental question: what will it actually take to build a sustainable, future-ready social care system in the UK?
Here are my key reflections.
Reform remains unfinished but pressure is building
One of the opening sessions, “The unfinished revolution: why care reform still hasn’t arrived and how it could”, set the tone. Despite years of discussion, meaningful, system-wide reform still feels just out of reach.
What struck me is that this isn’t due to a lack of ideas. The sector clearly understands the problems. Instead, it’s the complexity of aligning funding, policy, and delivery across a fragmented system that continues to hold progress back. There is a risk that incremental change becomes the default; when what’s really needed is something more fundamental.
A shifting model of care: community over institutions
One of the most notable trends discussed was the continued shift away from traditional residential care towards supported living and community-based models.
This is particularly evident in:
• The migration from residential care into supported living and homecare
• Increasing delivery of higher-acuity mental health support in community settings rather than clinical environments
This isn’t just a cost-driven shift, it reflects changing expectations around independence, dignity, and personalised care. But it also raises important questions about whether funding models and infrastructure are keeping pace with demand.
Investment is flowing but the market remains fragmented
There was a strong sense of momentum in terms of capital entering the sector. Investment from the US and the Middle East is becoming increasingly visible, alongside continued activity from established players.
However, despite this influx:
• The market remains highly fragmented
• Different subsectors are evolving at different speeds
• Ownership models continue to vary widely
Interestingly, one of the more reassuring insights was that ownership model alone doesn’t determine outcomes. Whether operator-led or backed by external investors, the differentiator is consistently leadership and organisational culture.
Workforce is still the defining issue
If social care has a single “core asset”, it is undoubtedly the workforce.
Across multiple sessions, the message was clear:
• Pay still matters but it’s not the only lever
• Training, career progression, and feeling valued are just as critical
• Organisations investing in career development are seeing measurably lower staff turnover
What stood out most was the idea of treating workforce investment as a strategic priority rather than an operational cost.
A great example came from Berkeley Care Group’s “Gen B Board”, where younger members of staff are invited into board-level discussions. It’s a simple but powerful way of ensuring leadership decisions reflect the realities of frontline care, and developing the next generation of leaders.
Being indispensable to the system could unlock sustainability
Another key theme was the importance of deep integration with local systems.
Providers who:
• Work closely with local authorities and Integrated Care Boards
• Actively engage with community needs
• Adapt services in response are more likely to become indispensable partners rather than interchangeable suppliers.
This creates a potential pathway to greater financial stability, particularly in a system where funding pressures are unlikely to ease any time soon.
Cost pressures aren’t going away but neither is the quality imperative
Unsurprisingly, cost management remains a central concern. But there was a consistent emphasis on avoiding the false economy of cost-cutting that undermines care quality.
The more forward-thinking organisations are:
• Taking a disciplined view on cost lines
• While protecting and enhancing the quality of care
In practice, that balance is difficult. But it feels increasingly non-negotiable.
AI has potential but only if the basics are right
AI was a major topic, particularly in sessions exploring predictive analytics and automation.
What felt refreshing was the realism in the discussion:
• AI is not a silver bullet
• Success depends on strong governance, good data foundations, and workforce adoption
In other words, technology alone won’t transform care, but people using technology effectively just might. There was also a strong emphasis on identifying and empowering “AI champions” within the workforce, rather than imposing top-down change.
The future will be shaped by ambition not just funding
Perhaps the most thought-provoking takeaway came from the framing of the “three As”: AI, automation, and ambition in one of the afternoon sessions.
The first two get a lot of attention. But it’s ambition around how bold the sector is willing to be that may ultimately determine whether social care evolves or truly transforms.
Final reflection
Walking away from the summit, I was struck by the sense that the sector is on the cusp of significant change but hasn’t fully crossed that threshold yet.
There is:
• More capital
• Better data
• Stronger innovation
• And a clear understanding of what good looks like
But the challenge is connecting those pieces into a coherent, scalable system.
The future of social care won’t be defined by a single reform or innovation. It will be shaped by how effectively operators, investors, policymakers, and the workforce come together to rethink what care can look like in the UK.