New Report Urges Local Action To Tackle Social Care Workforce Crisis “Today”
Adult social care providers and local authorities should not wait for the outcome of the Casey Commission or for long-term funding reform before acting to address the sector’s deepening workforce crisis, according to a new report from the think tank Re:State.
The report, Care to Stay: A Practical, Place-Based Strategy for the Adult Social Care Workforce, warns that the sector is in the grip of a worsening crisis driven by demanding roles, heavy workloads and a lack of recognition for care staff. It notes that domestic recruitment into the sector has declined even as demand for care services is expected to rise sharply in the coming years.
While chronic underfunding is widely blamed for persistently high vacancy and turnover rates, the report argues this is only part of the picture. It calls instead for a locally-led, place-based approach that can be put into action now, with local authorities, care providers, the NHS and central government all playing a part.
Cross-cutting workforce strategies
Central to the report’s recommendations is a call for local authorities to develop cross-cutting, place-based workforce strategies for adult social care, developed jointly with local partners. These strategies would focus on interventions that are free, low-cost, or capable of paying for themselves through savings elsewhere, spanning four areas: raising productivity, improving workforce health and wellbeing, strengthening commissioning practices, and improving public perceptions of care work.
Given the potential knock-on savings for the NHS, the report recommends that the Better Care Fund should be used to finance the creation and rollout of these local strategies.
Digital tools and technology
The report also calls for an expansion of the Digitising Social Care Programme, proposing the creation of an “Evaluated Solutions List” setting out technologies likely to offer the best return on investment across the sector. This would sit alongside assured supplier lists, with assurance standards scaled to the type of technology involved, allowing providers and local authorities to move directly from an evaluated technology type to a vetted supplier.
Workforce health and wellbeing
The report highlights the toll the job takes on staff, noting that the impact of the role on workers’ health and wellbeing is among the most commonly cited reasons for wanting to leave the sector.
To address this, it recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) compile a list of the physical health conditions most prevalent among the social care workforce, alongside evidence-based support options, to be implemented locally by providers working with NHS partners. It also calls for local authorities, NHS bodies and providers to jointly offer digital mental health support where this could deliver wider benefits across the system.
Separately, the report suggests DHSC adapt the NHS Culture and Leadership Programme for use in social care settings, with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) mandating its use in providers found to be underperforming or lacking a positive, inclusive workplace culture.
A voluntary register for care workers
The report also proposes a light-touch, voluntary register for frontline care workers, aimed at addressing public safety concerns linked to instances of abuse and neglect, which it says damage public trust in the sector and leave many care workers feeling undervalued.
Under the proposal, the register would record workers’ basic details, endorsements from people who draw on care and from employers, any disciplinary history, and results of an enhanced DBS check. To encourage take-up, the report suggests incentives or information on employment rights and entitlements, rather than making registration dependent on formal qualifications.
Multiple routes onto the register would be available, including endorsement from an employer within six months of a worker starting their role.
