Low-paid health and social care workers’ experiences during COVID-19

Key messages 

• low-paid health and social care workers felt deprioritised in national pandemic responses 

• participants perceived a strong policy focus on the NHS, with social care receiving less attention 

• frequent changes to COVID-19 guidance created frustration and uncertainty 

• low pay was seen as reinforcing a sense of undervaluation 

• workers described limited influence over decisions affecting their working conditions. 

Policy implications 

• crisis planning should explicitly include the social care workforce 

• clearer and more consistent guidance could reduce pressure on frontline staff 

• pay and employment conditions are central to workforce resilience 

• mechanisms to amplify care workers’ voices could improve policy responsiveness. 

Gaps 

• the study focuses on pandemic experiences only 

• findings are based on qualitative accounts 

• longer-term implications for workforce retention are not explored 

• perspectives beyond health and social care workers are not included. 

Commentary 
This study sheds light on how low-paid health and social care workers interpreted their place within the UK’s pandemic response. Participants described feeling overshadowed by a dominant focus on the NHS, with social care framed as secondary despite its central role. 

The rapid and repeated changes to guidance intensified workplace stress. For many workers, the lack of stability compounded existing frustrations linked to low pay and insecure conditions, shaping how they understood government priorities. 

In terms of care equity, the findings point to structural imbalances within the workforce. When social care workers are consistently positioned as lower priority, this reinforces inequalities between sectors and undermines the status of roles that are disproportionately occupied by women and people from marginalised backgrounds. These dynamics have implications not only for workers’ wellbeing, but also for the quality and continuity of care. 

Overall, the paper highlights how crises can magnify longstanding workforce inequities. Addressing pay, recognition and inclusion in decision-making is essential if social care workers are to be treated as equal partners within the health and care system, rather than an afterthought during periods of national pressure.