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The Sector Reacts To New Skills For Care Workforce Report

Leading figures and organisations across the adult social care sector have reacted to this week’s Skills for Care Report which reveals huge challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, and are calling on the Government to take immediate and decisive action to tackle the adult social care workforce crisis.

The report shows extensive staffing shortages, increasing reliance on costly agency workers, and growing financial pressures on councils. Furthermore, staffing shortages have a extremely negative impact on people who draw on care and support, leaving an enormous amount of unmet and under met need across the country.

Sam Monaghan, Chief Executive at MHA said:
“The new Skills for Care data shows steps in the right direction, but there is big hill to climb in maintaining a sustainable workforce for social care.

With the launch of the Employment Rights Bill today, we welcome any measures on fair pay that lead to better recognition for the skilled and dedicated professionals working in care.

MHA has long been calling for care worker pay to be increased. However, we are clear  that  any agreement on minimum pay or uplifts for care workers must come with additional funding in order for the sector to meet the increased pay commitment.

“MHA has not been immune to the care workforce pressures and we have been doing everything we can to address these issues. This includes continuing to be a Real Living Wage employer since 2018, using innovative recruitment techniques   as well as increasing overseas recruitment.

“ We need to value our care colleagues in order to deliver high quality care and support that so many older people are in need of now and prepare for a future where there will be greater demand.”

Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) said:
“The social care workforce remains in critical condition. The reprieve brought by the record level of international recruitment has been much needed but ultimately not enough to stabilise the sector, which contributes £68.1 billion annually to our economy.

“Domestic recruitment and retention are still at a crisis point, with the number of British workers decreasing by around 70,000 over the last two years and the turnover rate for care workers at 41.1%.

“The decrease in the number of personal assistants is a significant concern due to the crucial role they play in providing personalised support. The continued reduction could limit options for those requiring care, resulting in unmet needs. Combined with the wider workforce pressures, it highlights that people who employ personal assistants must not be left behind as part of government reform measures.

“With a vacancy rate that is three times that of the wider economy, we urge the Government to take bold, decisive action to tackle the workforce’s short-term and long-term needs. This includes addressing low pay, which remains a significant issue, as well as improved employment contracts, better working conditions, career development and training opportunities.

“The roadmap described in the Skills for Care Workforce Strategy provides a springboard for action. By valuing and rewarding the care workforce, we will ensure a better future for the care system, for both the people who work in it and those who rely on it daily.”

Head of Practice and Workforce at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Suhailah Mohamed, said:
‘Recruitment can be tricky in all areas of social care, and we must do more to make a career in social care more attractive. We especially need to grow our own workforce and better support those who have chosen to work in our social care services from abroad. One way in which this could be done is to highlight the wide variety of careers within the social care sector, which includes occupational therapy.

‘On the eve of its first 100 days in office, the UK government needs to recognise the key role occupational therapists play in social care. There currently aren’t enough occupational therapists in the community to provide the support that people need to do essential daily occupations, such as getting in and out of bed, dressing, bathing and preparing meals. With the right support for people at home, there would be less pressure on an already-stretched healthcare service and workforce, saving money and reducing waiting lists.

‘Investment in the social care workforce is critical. More investment and a more targeted focus on recruitment and retention would mean we could help the people accessing social care services manage their health and daily living, as well as supporting them to live in homes that are safe and enable them to live quality lives.’

Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of NCF said:
“While the data presented in this report shows a welcome stabilisation of some of the key metrics around the care workforce, we must not underestimate the role of international recruitment and the mammoth efforts of providers to improve pay, terms and conditions.

“It is important to recognise the dedicated international colleagues who have chosen to come to the UK to provide care and support to people who need it when there are so many other countries across the world crying out for care staff. However, when the impact of international recruitment is stripped out, the underlying statistics around pay, turnover and recruitment make clear that we are not in a sustainable situation, and we need a long-term solution to these systemic workforce issues.

“This is driven home when one considers that there are now 70,000 fewer British workers in direct care roles compared to 2021/22. In the same period there was an increase of 185,000 international recruits.

“The solutions to this domestic workforce crisis are in plain sight as presented in a workforce strategy for adult social care facilitated by Skills for Care and published in July 2024. This strategy was developed in collaboration with a wide range of organisations, including NCF, representatives of our membership and people with a stake in the future of care services. We call on the government to adopt, and fully fund, the strategy with urgency as it presents clear and deliverable methods that would create meaningful and sustainable change. We reiterate our offer to work together with the government as it develops its Fair Pay Agreement for care workers and a National Care Service – central to this will be the implementation of an actionable plan to ensure good quality, sustainable care is there when people need it most.”

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said:
“Health leaders will be concerned by these figures which continue to show worrying trends in how competitive social care pay and terms are in the labour market, and the risk that the care sector’s growing reliance on international recruitment and its global workforce is undermined by changes in migration policy.

“Social care staff from overseas play an increasingly vital role in social care services and contribute valuable skills and knowledge. However, as these figures highlight, we are headed for cliff edge in the social care workforce in the years to come as both domestic and international workforce numbers dwindle and the number of people who need vital social care support surges.

“The social care and health sectors are sister services both focused on improving the health of the communities they serve. We acknowledge that the new government have made a number of important commitments regarding fair pay for the social care workforce.

“However, there is a need to go further and the recent Skills for Care Workforce Strategy sets out a series of steps and actions which we urge the government to also support and implement.”

Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Policy Natasha Curry said:
“This latest report again highlights the sheer size and immense societal and economic value of England’s social care sector, which employs nearly 1.6 million people in crucial caring roles and contributes more than £68bn to the English economy. But despite its value, the sector remains in peril and today’s outlook must serve as a wake-up call for government to get to grips with the future of social care.

“The average vacancy rate in social care is still nearly three times higher than the national workforce average and, concerningly, care worker pay remains among the lowest in the economy, with 80% of jobs paying more. Meanwhile, the sector’s necessary dependence on international recruitment looks increasingly fragile, as the number of applications from workers overseas has fallen dramatically over recent months, likely accelerated by visa changes.

“The sector will need another 540,000 workers by 2040 to keep up with need. Shoring up its workforce with overseas recruits is not a sustainable solution and the government needs to act now on the issue. Skills for Care’s existing workforce strategy is a great place to start – government needs to urgently fund and support that strategy, working closely with the sector and stakeholders, to join up the dots on workforce development, pay and wider service improvement and integration to ensure we have a social care sector fit for the future.”

Lucinda Allen, Senior Policy Officer at the Health Foundation, said:
‘Today’s data show that staffing shortages in the care sector have recovered from a crisis point in 2021, largely thanks to record levels of international recruitment. But ensuring enough staff to care for older and disabled people remains challenging, with 131,000 unfilled posts in social care in 2023/24 and a vacancy rate almost three times that of the wider UK economy. The significant drop in international recruitment in recent months may spell more trouble ahead.

‘The government’s forthcoming legislation on a fair pay agreement to set minimum pay, terms and conditions in social care is promising. Boosting pay is a necessary step to make the sector more attractive, but evidence suggests that pay policies work better when there’s also improvements to progression, training and development. Alongside the fair pay agreement, the government needs to set out a comprehensive workforce strategy for social care.

‘The social care system also desperately needs wider reform and investment, including to improve people’s care and protect people against high care costs. Nearly 100 days into the new government, there is still no sign of a desperately needed plan for social care. Without this, the government’s aspiration of a ‘national care service’ risks being added to the long list of broken political promises on social care

Cllr David Fothergill, Chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“The adult social care workforce plays an essential role in supporting people of all ages to live full, independent lives. But this sector is at breaking point, with vacancies, turnover, and low pay creating growing pressures that have led to a significant amount of unmet and under-met need.

“Without urgent intervention, councils will struggle to meet their legal duties to people who draw on care. We are calling on the Government to work quickly and closely with councils on a fair pay agreement for care workers to attract and retain skilled professionals, implementing a fully funded workforce strategy for the sector, and providing councils with the resources they need to reduce their reliance on costly agency staff.

This is vital for building a sustainable adult social care workforce that can continue to provide high-quality care. This workforce crisis requires urgent attention and cross-party collaboration. We are urging all political parties to put the national interest first and work together to secure the future of adult social care.”

 

Nestle