Care Home Parliamentary Reception 2023

On Thursday, 11 May 2023, Care England was delighted to host its annual Parliamentary Reception in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords.

Care England’s Parliamentary Reception has, for many years, brought together a wide range of key voices from the adult social care sector including social care professionals, providers, academics, Parliamentarians and other key stakeholders. Our reception provides the opportunity for those dedicated to adult social care to come together and share successes, discuss pressing challenges and re-energise working relationships. Our 2023 Reception was kindly hosted by Baroness Liz Barker, a Liberal Democrat Peer with a wealth of experience both working in, and advocating for, the adult social care sector. This event was generously sponsored by Towergate Insurance, a Care England member and trusted insurer for care providers.

Baroness Barker was the first to address attendees and began her speech by paying tribute to the late Baroness Sally Greengross, a former Peer and close friend of Care England who devoted much of her career to championing the adult social care sector, campaigning passionately about the need to make a create a sustainable future for the sector. Baroness Barker went on to outline how social care has been used as a ‘political football’ during electoral campaigns, but the nettle must now be grasped and meaningful reform delivered.

Care England was joined by Guest of Honour Paul Brand, UK Editor for ITV News, named Political Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards 2020 for his work covering the Covid-19 crisis in care homes. In his speech, Paul discussed the relationship between the media and the adult social care sector. Paul encouraged attendees to build relationships with trusted journalists and have honest conversations that tap into the wealth of human interest surrounding the sector.

Speaking after the reception, Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive at Care England, said:

“It is clear that many politicians are anxious to see a solution to the social care crisis, but the challenge is to get them to work more collaboratively across all of the political parties. It is clear that social care is a part of national infrastructure, and it requires a cross-party consensus about how we should move forward and develop a long-term and sustainable future for the sector. As we look towards the future and a general election, I hope that all parties will not see social care as an opportunity to score points; rather, they will look at ways in which they can work together to bring the sector a bright future.”

Care England wishes to express our thanks to those who were able to join us at this year’s Parliamentary Reception and our sincere gratitude to our valued friends and colleagues who made the event possible. A special mention must also go to the wonderful House of Lords staff, who ensured the event went smoothly.

We look forward to building on conversations held on the day and welcoming colleagues to similar events in the near future.