Government Launches Survey to Hear Directly from England’s Adult Social Care Workforce
Thousands of adult social care professionals, including nurses and care workers, are being invited to share their experiences as the Government gathers evidence to shape future workforce reform and plans for a National Care Service.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched the third wave of its Adult Social Care Workforce Survey, with a target of 7,000 responses from people working across England’s social care sector.
The survey is open to a wide range of professionals, including nurses, care workers, personal assistants, social workers and managers. It also seeks views from staff working in residential and nursing homes, home care and disability services, as well as agency workers, self-employed staff and people employed on zero-hours contracts.
The Government said the survey will provide a clearer picture of the experiences of the estimated 1.5 million people working in adult social care in England – a workforce broadly comparable in size with that of the NHS.
Topics covered include wellbeing and quality of working life, learning and professional development, employment terms and conditions, workplace culture, and experiences of violence, harassment, abuse and bullying. Staff will also be asked about their intentions to leave the sector and their awareness of forthcoming reforms.
Workforce reform in focus
The survey comes at a significant time for adult social care, with the Government developing proposals for a National Care Service alongside wider reforms to pay, career development and training.
Plans for an Adult Social Care Negotiating Body have also been confirmed as part of the Government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement for the sector. Negotiations are expected to begin next year, with an initial settlement anticipated from 2028.
Ministers say improving career progression and professional development will also be a key part of reform, building on the Care Workforce Pathway.
Social care minister Alison McGovern said: “Care workers have been ignored for years. They are a workforce equal in size to the NHS but remaining among the lowest paid and unacceptably underappreciated.
“This survey will provide a crucial insight and shed a light on their working lives and experiences and identifying the issues that we have a responsibility to address.”
Ms McGovern said the latest survey would provide important evidence about the working lives of those employed in social care and help identify areas where action was needed.
Financial pressures remain a concern
Previous research highlights some of the challenges facing the workforce.
The latest available survey findings showed that 56% of respondents reported having little or no financial security, while 69% said the cost of living was too high. Almost half (49%) felt their hourly rate of pay was too low.
At the same time, the research found positive indications around professional development and personal wellbeing. Half of respondents rated their overall life satisfaction as high or very high, while around two-thirds said they had opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills.
The previous survey attracted more than 3,000 responses, compared with more than 7,000 responses to the first survey in 2023.
The Government says expanding participation in the latest wave will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences and priorities of the workforce.
Staff urged to have their say
The survey is being conducted by Ipsos in collaboration with Skills for Care and the University of Kent. It was originally commissioned by DHSC in 2022.
Oonagh Smyth, chief executive of Skills for Care, said the experiences of people working in adult social care should be central to decisions about the sector’s future.
“As the Government looks at how to strengthen the workforce through improvements to pay, training and support, it’s essential that the experiences of people working in adult social care are part of the conversation,” she said.
She encouraged staff to use the opportunity to share their experiences and provide evidence about what is working well and where improvements are required.
The survey forms part of a wider programme of work examining the future of adult social care. Baroness Louise Casey is separately leading work on the future shape of the sector, including the Government’s “Big Conversation” public consultation, which aims to gather up to one million views on the future funding and delivery of care.
The workforce survey is open to anyone working in adult social care in England. Responses can be submitted through the Ipsos survey or by telephone on 0800 157 7794.
