Care Providers Unite to march on Parliament

It was a cold but bright sunny day on Tuesday 25^th February 2025 as I was fortunate enough to be part of social care history, writes our Franchise Owner, Andrew Davis, coming together under the Providers Unite banner with care recipients and care providers from across the country as well as the Home Care Association, the Dorset Care Association, the National Care Association and even the British Franchise Association to advocate for the vital reforms social care needs needs. Social care is a critical component of the health system, ensuring that individuals receive the support they require to lead fulfilling lives while easing the burden on hospitals and emergency services. Leading up to this event, the solidarity shown among providers was impressive and it is thanks to the Providers Unite movement that the sector came together as a cohesive community, a catalyst for connection like never before.

There was tremendous enthusiasm for the Providers Unite event, highlighting that this marked not the culmination, but the initiation of a project to see the world of care receive the support it needs and deserves.  Together, we can ensure that social care not only supports individuals but also plays a pivotal role in creating a sustainable health system that benefits everyone. Providers Unite was a proud moment for social care, as providers came together like never before, in a powerful push for crucial reforms.  There’s something truly inspiring about the incredible willingness to collaborate and set aside competition for the greater good. Seeing both familiar and new faces was nothing short of uplifting.  The strong representation from the Social care, franchising, along with the unwavering support organisations like the Homecare Association, The BFA and the National Care Association highlights our collective strength.  There was also the camaraderie of course, from the many representatives who came from across the the Right at Home network.  A special thank you must of course go to Providers Unite, for all of their tremendous endeavours, to make the vision for the day a reality. All in all, this was a landmark moment in history filled with relentless determination to ensure that a better future for our precious sector prevails.

Commenting on the Day of Action to Care Management Matters, Nadra Ahmed CBE, Executive Co-Chair at the National Care Association, said, 'This is a watershed moment for both those receiving care and those unable to access it due to the chronic and systematic underfunding of our social care sector. A sector that has been treated as a political football by successive Governments. Despite overwhelming challenges, providers have continued to invest, sustain services and innovate. But sadly, the complete lack of understanding by the Treasury and Government decision makers of the contributions that social care makes to individuals and communities has eroded any of the resilience providers have. Now they must face the consequences of a sector facing catastrophic collapse. I urge everyone to be part of the day!'

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive at Care England, said in an interview with Caring Times, “Today’s demonstration by Providers Unite showed the depth of feeling there is in the care sector and reinforced the need for the government to take urgent action before it’s too late. What was great about today’s rally was that the sector came together with people who use services to demand a better deal for care.”  

Meanwhile Clive Parry, Director at the Association for Real Change (ARC) England, also talking with Care Management Matters said, “All we ask is that this Government enable people with learning disabilities and autism to live their lives with choice and control. That is why ARC England stands four-square behind Providers Unite, the grass roots movement which amplifies the voices of providers, the people they support and their communities. I encourage everyone to get behind it.”