3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target Implementation date: Outstanding (date to be confirmed in due course) 3.2 The department provided an update to the Committee on 7 October 2020. The government’s current priority for adult social care (and the focus point of the department) is that all recipients of care receive the support they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the winter period ahead, placing equal focus on the NHS and care sectors. 3.3 The Adult Social Care Winter Plan sets out the actions the government will be taking at a national level; and actions that every local area and care provider must be taking to keep COVID-19 at bay. 3.4 The department is acutely aware of the long-term challenges to the social care system in England. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges’ society faces. There are complex questions to address, to which the department wants to give full consideration in light of current circumstances. 3.5 The department recognises the pressures on the care system are ever-increasing, hence the manifesto commitment to £1 billion extra of funding every year for more social care staff and better infrastructure, technology and facilities, to stabilise the system. The manifesto promised that no one will be forced to sell their home to pay for care and this remains a pressing issue, firmly at the heart of public debate on social care. In reforming the wider social care system, the department has an opportunity to resolve this long-standing unfairness. 3.6 The department is actively considering a range of proposals to bring forward a plan that addresses these challenges for the future and will update on progress following the forthcoming spending review.