Westminster Health Forum Policy Conference: Next steps for supporting the social care workforce

Julie Penfold reports exclusively for Social Care Today from the Westminster Health Forum Policy Conference, where experts discuss priorities and next steps for growing the social care workforce and tackling the staffing crisis in social care. 

With the dual concerns of growing burnout within the social care workforce and vacancy rates continuing to rise, how best to support and bolster the workforce were key discussion topics at a recent Westminster Health Forum Policy Conference.

The government’s proposed funding and its recent 10-year vision for the sector set out in its People at the Heart of Care white paper have been criticised for not doing enough to fix the immediate issues that social care is facing.

Staff feel undervalued and overworked, explained opening session chair and keynote speaker, Lucinda Allen, Policy Officer at the Health Foundation. ‘Speaking to care providers and social care staff, we’re hearing that burnout has been hitting in earnest recently with many needing a break. According to Skills for Care, the latest vacancy rate is now sitting at above 10%.’

A range of factors is contributing to the recruitment and retainment issues the sector is facing, she explained. These include political neglect and long-term underfunding, lack of societal recognition, growing demand, low pay and poor terms and conditions, a restrictive immigration policy and competition from other sectors.

‘Significantly, pay in the social care sector is comparatively very low than other sectors that compete for a similar workforce,’ she explained. ‘But the structure of social care and lack of government funding makes it much harder for providers to increase wages in the same way. Social care staff are employed by around 20,000 mostly private provider organisations and also by individuals with care needs. There is no national oversight on pay and conditions, so it’s left up to local authorities to incentivise higher pay or for care providers to pay higher rates.

‘Around three-quarters of care workers earn less than the national living wage,’ she continued. ‘As the national living wage has increased, it’s been hard for providers to maintain pay differentials and sufficiently reward more experienced workers and those with greater responsibilities. It’s led to the pay gap between care workers and senior care workers getting much smaller.’

Recruitment will continue to be a priority in the future. The Health Foundation estimates that 600,000 more social care staff will be needed by 2030/31 to improve services and meet the growing demand for care.

Without proper funding, the government’s 10-year vision will mean very little, Ms Allen predicted. The Health Foundation has estimated an extra £7.4bn is needed by 2024/25 to meet demand, improve access to care, allow local authorities to pay providers more, and, in turn, enable increases in staff pay. ‘We are calling on the government and others to develop a fully funded people plan for growing and supporting the workforce. Its initial priority should be tackling pay.’

Ms Allen added that the government’s own Migration Advisory Committee has highlighted that increasing pay and improving salary differentials across the workforce is essential to boosting recruitment. Potential measures to support pay increases could include a sector-specific minimum wage (as in Scotland and Wales), a national pay scale for social care (similar to the NHS Agenda for Change), and the government establishing a sectoral wage board. But employers and local government cannot tackle these workforce problems alone, they need coordinated action from central government, she urged.

Rachel Harrison is GMB National Officer for Public Services and said around a third of the social care workforce leaves annually. ‘When you have care workers on less than £10 per hour and working physically and mentally demanding 12-hour shifts, it’s no wonder they are leaving for higher paid jobs elsewhere. Kitchen and domestic staff are moving into retail and hospitality, while care assistants are moving into other health services, and nurses are leaving to work for the NHS in primary or community care.’

Understaffing is another issue affecting GMB members, but it’s the lack of sick pay in the sector that remains the biggest infection risk, she told the conference. ‘We are seeing care providers remove access to sick pay once again. This means workers regularly face the unbearable dilemma of having to choose between going to work ill, and potentially putting the health of those they care for in danger or staying at home and not being able to put food on the table. While the white paper contains some positive initiatives such as training standards, career progression and registration, it fails to provide the necessary funding and fails to address pay. Without these, there will be no solving of the workforce crisis.’

GMB’s vision for social care begins with pay justice, Ms Harrison explained. They are calling for a minimum hourly rate of £15 and full sick pay as a contractual right for the social care workforce. ‘We believe the current rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) of £99.35 per week is not enough to live on. SSP must be raised to a liveable rate and the earnings threshold also needs to be dropped.’

Professionalisation of the workforce would help to celebrate, recognise and value all staff working in social care. The introduction of a system of registration in England would also help to bring it in line with the devolved countries, she advised.

GMB is further calling for safe staffing levels and the introduction of national sectoral bargaining to allow unions to negotiate national pay and terms for the social care workforce.

Since 2020, The Care Workers’ Charity has paid out almost £4 million to support care workers during the pandemic and in times of sickness, relationship breakdown, and injury. As the cost of living crisis deepens, they are also providing eviction prevention support as well as financial help with food bills, accommodation, clothes for children and travel costs to enable care staff to get to work.

Karolina Gerlich is CEO of the charity and described it as “terrifying” that more than 6,000 people have needed their help. ‘This is also without us advertising that this support is available as we know we would be unable to meet demand if we did,’ she explained. ‘We cannot continue to plug the gap of funding in the sector.’

Registration of the workforce is important, and Ms Gerlich said she didn’t mind whether it’s known as a National Care Service or the Royal College of Care Workers. But what is vital is that registration must include all roles including personal assistants. ‘A professional body that gives the workforce a sense of belonging and personal pride is what we’re missing in social care.’

Photo by Sincerely Media