The Government has promised to finally bring forward proposals to reform adult social care and will consult on providing councils with the power to introduce an annual 2% precept.

Following the Queen's Speech to Parliament the Government admitted that putting adult social care on ‘a sustainable footing is one of the biggest long-term challenges facing society'.

It said the precept would ‘enable councils to access a further £500 million' to help fund it.

In addition, ministers are also promising to bring forward ‘substantive proposals to fix the crisis in social care to give everyone the dignity and security they deserve'.

The Queen set out that the Government would also continue to ‘work to reform the Mental Health Act to improve respect for, and care of, those receiving treatment'.

Ministers will publish a White Paper by the end of this year, setting out a response to the review of the Act which looked at rising rates of detention, and the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups detained under it.

The Government is committing to ensuring that ‘people subject to the Act receive better care and have a much greater say' in what it looks like. Patients will be able to set out their preferences around care and treatment in advance.

With regard to health care more generally, the Government will introduce a Bill to establish an ‘independent body to investigate serious healthcare incidents'.

It will have the power to conduct investigations into incidents relating to NHS services that may have implications for patient safety.