Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy in England

This briefing document outlines a comprehensive workforce strategy for the adult social care sector in England, acknowledging significant challenges and proposing actionable recommendations to build a sustainable and thriving workforce.

Most Important Ideas/Facts

A Looming Crisis

• Demographic Shift: England faces a rapidly aging population, with the number of people aged 65+ projected to increase by 32% by 2035. This translates to an estimated need for an additional 540,000 social care workers by 2040.
• Recruitment and Retention Challenges: The sector struggles with high vacancy rates (8.3% in 2023-24, three times the national average) and significant staff turnover, with 330,000 workers leaving their roles in the same period.
• Competition and Pay: Social care faces stiff competition from other sectors, often losing out due to lower wages and less attractive benefits packages.

Three Pillars for Change: The strategy proposes a three-pronged approach:

• Attract and Retain:
• Pay and Terms: A key recommendation is consistent action on pay, potentially through a sector-specific minimum wage or aligning with NHS pay bands. This is acknowledged as a complex issue involving government, local authorities, employers, and unions.
• International Recruitment: While acknowledging the increasing reliance on international workers, the strategy proposes a transition plan to prioritise domestic recruitment alongside ethical international recruitment practices.
• Attraction Strategies: Recommendations include a 10-year plan targeting younger demographics, men, and individuals with tech skills, along with initiatives to attract more graduates, career changers, social workers, occupational therapists, and registered nurses.
• Retention Efforts: The strategy highlights the need for a “People Promise” for social care, focusing on improved pay, job security, work-life balance, and career development opportunities, similar to the NHS People Plan.
• Train:
• Upskilling and Development: The strategy advocates for expanding access to training and development opportunities, particularly in areas like digital skills, dementia care, and leadership.
• Care Workforce Pathway: The strategy supports rolling out the Care Workforce Pathway, enabling workers to progress to level 3 competency within three years.
• Apprenticeships: There’s a call to overhaul social care apprenticeships to make them more attractive and effective for both learners and employers.
• Targeted Investments: The strategy proposes investing in developing specialised roles like social workers, occupational therapists, registered nurses, and managers, recognizing their critical contribution to the sector.
• Transform:
• Workforce Planning: The strategy emphasises the need for robust national and local workforce planning, potentially mandated by legislation, to ensure the sector can meet future needs.
• Central Workforce Body: A key recommendation is establishing a central workforce body, similar to NHS England, to provide dedicated leadership, coordination, and implementation capacity for the strategy.
• Registration Debate: The strategy acknowledges the ongoing debate about registering the care workforce, with differing views on its potential benefits and drawbacks. It proposes further investigation into its feasibility and impact.
• Technology and Innovation: Embracing technology and digital solutions is seen as crucial for improving efficiency, quality of care, and attracting tech-savvy individuals to the workforce.

Cost Implications

The strategy recognises the financial constraints and aims for cost-neutral solutions wherever possible. However, it acknowledges that substantial investment is needed, particularly in areas like pay, training, and infrastructure development. The document provides detailed costings for certain recommendations, while others require further analysis and planning.

Implementation and Collaboration

The strategy emphasises that success hinges on strong collaboration between government, regulators, employers, unions, people who draw on social care, and other stakeholders. It stresses the need for a shared vision, mutual respect, and a collective commitment to driving change.

Key Quotes:

• “We all want to live in the place we call home, with the people and things that we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing the things that matter to us” – Social Care Future
• “Social care is important for people, for communities and for the economy. It enables people to live well and contributes £60 billion to England’s economy each year.”
• “Simply put, we don’t have enough people in adult social care today and we are going to need more tomorrow.”

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