Room for cautious optimism but further action required: SCIE responds to new Skills for Care data

Despite some good news about the care workforce in this report, we shouldn’t be complacent. The workforce has grown for the third consecutive year, and average vacancy and turnover rates have continued to fall. However, a detailed look at the underlying workforce pressures suggests breathing easy would be premature.  A relentless focus on improving care workers’ pay, working conditions and career opportunities remains critical to stabilising the social care system.

One driver of the workforce trends is international recruitment, but we cannot rely on international workers for the long term. As the report describes, the domestic workforce is still shrinking, and routes for international recruitment are being sealed off, reducing the pool of people available to work in the sector. Renewed attention to recruiting a home-grown workforce is urgently needed.

Of great concern is that workers’ pay has not kept pace with increasing experience. The report highlights that care workers with five or more years of experience are only earning 7p more per hour than new starters. A recognised career path that recognises workers’ experience with better pay is sorely needed.

Equally as concerning is the decline in workforce qualification levels, which raises questions about the sector’s capability for meeting the people’s social care needs. Increasingly, care workers require skills for delegated health tasks and caring for people with complex conditions. Investing in training and skills development must remain a top priority for all care employers, along with a pay structure that rewards increasing skills.

We know that pay is a principal driver of reducing turnover and improving recruitment. The Fair Pay Agreement, due to be introduced under the Employment Rights Bill, is a welcome step towards recognising care as a skilled profession. That said, the £500 million announced in September to fund the Fair Pay Agreement translates to an estimated average increase of just 20p per hour, according to think tanks. This will not scratch the surface of being able to bring care worker pay in line with equivalent roles in the NHS, nor address the pay disparity in the sector.

As the Fair Pay Agreement enters into its consultation phase and the Casey Commission begins to build in momentum, the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care, led by Skills for Care, should be seen as a guidebook for action. Delivering solutions for our workforce is not something we can continue to stray from; with 470,000 new posts needed by 2040, we need bold, funded solutions that will secure the future sustainability of the sector.

The workforce is our sector’s beating heart. Every day, those working in care go above and beyond to provide the support that transforms lives, enabling people to live with greater independence, dignity and purpose. Their work sustains families and communities, eases pressure on our other public services and, as this report evidences, contributes £77.8 billion each year to the wider economy—more than the accommodation and food service industry.