Following publication of the Picture of Public Services report we’re publishing a series of sector-specific summary reports.

This report summarises key information about social care in Wales.

It explores capacity, performance, funding, and outlines some of the key issues.

What we found

This report is not intended to be comprehensive. It sets out what we consider to be some of the key issues in the social care sector.

We found three key issues in social care:

1. There are long-standing challenges in the social care sector, including achieving financial sustainability and funding arrangements.
2. Progress addressing challenges in the sector has been slow.
3. COVID-19 has made the need for change more pressing but transforming social care will be challenging.

The challenge of addressing the indirect impact of COVID-19 will likely continue for years into the future. There are significant, long-standing issues in the social care sector which pre-date the pandemic.

Despite the significant challenges ahead, there are opportunities to rebuild and deliver services differently, putting the user at the centre of services, and learning from the collective response to COVID-19.