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A new research report from Alma Economics, commissioned by Cornwall Council, provides much needed evidence that changing the way we talk and think about care could have a huge impact on our economy. Our health and care system is often described as being ‘under pressure', that care is a ‘burden on public finances', something that is generally undervalued and looked down on.The research challenges this narrative on every level. Adult social care is not simply consuming resources; it is creating economic value at a scale that many sectors would envy.This is a direct contradiction of what we see at every spending review, with social care leaders lining up to explain why the system is on the brink. Its discussed largely in terms of its failures, shortages and pressures.Without social care, hospitals seize up, people leave work and communities become less productive. We see health inequalities widen and participation in the economy falls. This is clear proof that care is part of the economic infrastructure.In Cornwall alone, adult social care generates almost £1 billion of economic activity and supports around 22,700 jobs, making it responsible for around 6% of Cornwall's entire economy. When the contribution of unpaid carers is included, the sector supports nearly 70,000 jobs and more than £2.1 billion in Gross Value Added. The research estimates that adult social care in Cornwall generates £3.7 billion of wider social and economic benefits annually. For every £1 invested, society receives £2.37 in return through improved wellbeing, avoided NHS costs, increased productivity, better health outcomes and wider societal benefits. No one would describe advanced manufacturing, green energy or digital technology as a burden if they generated that level of return. So why do we continue to do so for social care? The answer lies in decades of thinking about care as expenditure rather than infrastructure.Social care enables older people and disabled adults to participate in communities. It allows family carers to remain economically active. It prevents demand elsewhere in the public sector. It supports labour markets. It sustains local businesses through supply chains. It creates employment in every town, village and coastal community.Most importantly, it creates the conditions in which other parts of the economy can function.Without social care, hospitals seize up, people leave work and communities become less productive. We see health inequalities widen and participation in the economy falls. This is clear proof that care is part of the economic infrastructure.This has profound implications for the Casey Commission. If it focuses solely on funding pressures, workforce shortages or service reform, it will miss the bigger opportunity to show care in a completely different light, with the potential of providing an even bigger boost to the UK's economy. Social care is often characterised as a source of low-skilled employment. This outdated narrative does a disservice to the complexity, judgement and expertise required every day across care services.Modern adult social care depends upon professionals managing complex risks, supporting people with profound disabilities, deploying assistive technology, coordinating multidisciplinary care, navigating safeguarding challenges and helping people achieve outcomes that matter to them.As populations age and needs become increasingly complex, the skills demanded by the sector will only grow.The Cornwall evidence should act as a wake-up call. The sector does not need pity and it doesn't need the ‘care is in crisis' narrative.If we began to see care differently we could unlock greater investment in facilities, technology and workforce development, create clearer career pathways, support higher wages, stimulate innovation and attract more people into a profession that is essential to a thriving economy, resulting in a healthier population and a more resilient society.Cllr Jim McKenna is Cabinet lead for adult social care and health partnerships at Cornwall Council

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ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Could changing the way we think about care help deliver economic growth?

By Jim McKenna | 14 August 2026

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