Ready to Care: The First Steps to Fixing Social Care documents the 1.1m blocked beds and 64% of medically fit patients having to wait for social care as of April 2024.

Co-author of the report Rachael Crook, chief executive and co-founder of Lifted, said: ‘We have brought together the best of the sector to present innovative practical low-cost solutions that can be implemented by the Labour Government now. They have already indicated they are open to change and are prioritising this sector to establish a care system we can all be proud of.'

The whitepaper proposes a unified ‘village of care' model that brings together both health and social care systems into a patient-centred system. This includes legislation to ensure that director of adult social care leaders sit on NHS boards and to transfer more acute and chronic conditions to community care.

The paper also exposes often overlooked issues in social care, such as the long travel times endured by home care workers, who make up 43% of the workforce and suggests solutions for the often-hidden 5m unpaid carers in society.