The owner of a Cheshire home care provider joined forces with services in Shropshire to contribute to the national conversation shaping the Casey Commission's review of adult social care. 

The cross-county meeting, organised by Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, brought together several providers facing similar pressures, including rising operating costs and barriers to recruitment.  

Ben Selby, Managing Director of Right at Home Mid and South Cheshire, met with colleagues connected with Baroness Louise Casey, Chair of the Commission, to ensure that local concerns are reflected in future reforms. 

The Casey Commission, announced by the Government in July 2025, is examining the deep-rooted issues affecting the social care system and exploring how to create a more sustainable model for the future. 

During the meeting, Ben highlighted how decades of underfunding had pushed prices below the true cost of delivering safe, regulated home care, leaving many providers struggling to maintain high-quality services.  

The Home Care Association, which represents over 2,000 home care providers nationwide, has set the Minimum Price for Home Care at £34.42 per hour from April 2026.

This figure is designed to cover National Living Wage requirements and the essential costs of running a compliant care service. 

However, many public bodies, including the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in Cheshire and Merseyside, are paying far below this rate. 

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"This local body has recently asked us to provide care at a rate of £24 an hour, which is a reduction on what they were providing previously," Ben said.  

"As a result, we haven't taken on any new local authority-funded care packages because we wouldn't be able to deliver the high-quality care we're known for at that rate." 

Ben also raised concerns about recent changes to National Insurance thresholds and contribution rates, explaining that the combination of a lower NI threshold, an increase in employer contributions from 13.8% to 15%, and the rise in the National Living Wage is placing additional strain on providers. 

He told Commission members that many local authority-funded providers have already been forced to hand back contracts or close entirely.

As a private provider, he said he has been left with "no choice" but to increase prices for self-funders, a change that has led some vulnerable adults and families to reduce the level of care they receive. 

"Changes to NICs added around £60,000 to our costs last year, a figure we simply cannot absorb," he said. "I've been forced to raise our prices, and unfortunately that has meant some clients have had to cut back on the care they need." 

Ben said he hopes members of the Commission will make clear to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, that the challenges facing care providers across Cheshire and Shropshire are "real and do exist". 

He also expressed his hope that the independent review, the first phase of which will be published later this year, will set out recommendations for a "multi-year funding settlement to meet future demand, help improve access to care and cover the full cost of running a quality care service." 

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Ben added: "I also call on the government to exempt care providers from increased NICs and implement a national contract to set a minimum price for care services, ensuring that all costs of running a care business are considered." 

Right at Home South & Mid Cheshire continues to bridge the gap between exceptional caregiving and meaningful connections, ensuring ever client receives not just care but genuine compassion and love. 

Right at Home South Cheshire and Mid Cheshire provides domiciliary care and support to people living in their own homes.   

Services range from companionship, home help and personal care to specialist dementia care and live-in care services.   

Sandbach Nub News and Alsager Nub News are proud that Right at Home South Cheshire is a sponsor of our news service.    

It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like Right at Home South Cheshire that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Sandbach, Alsager and across the UK.