In response to the Skills for Care annual State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘Staff recruitment and retention continues to be a significant challenge for disabled people and support providers across the country. Despite adopting broad approaches to address shortages, including campaigns and international recruitment, a sustainable solution will not be possible until local authorities are able to fully cover the true costs of social care support.
We also need social care to be an attractive place to work, starting with parity with the NHS on pay, recognition and progression opportunities. To that end, our members look forward to contributing to the development of a workforce strategy for social care and continue to engage with commissioners and council social care portfolio holders to approach commissioning, and 2024/25 funding uplifts, in a collaborative way.’
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The full report can be found here: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx
VODG Workforce Position
We know that the social care workforce plays a critical role in the life chances and experiences of disabled people of all ages. The government must stop ignoring the investment needed and prioritise social care to ensure the current and future workforce feel valued, are fairly paid and rewarded for their vital work.
While there is clear commitment by third sector providers to grow and invest in the workforce, the persistent number of vacancies and challenges facing disabled people and providers to recruit and retain staff, show that radical action is needed. International recruitment and the changes to the Health and Social Care VISA scheme is one solution, but not the solution to the problem.
- We are calling for a forward-looking plan for the social care workforce.
- We are calling on the government to commit to the principle of parity across the whole NHS and social care economy – in regard to pay, progression and recognition - to put the sector on a surer footing. A starting point is to align social care pay with NHS banding.
- Local authorities also need to be funded accordingly, so they can cover the true costs of care including living wage commitments
- The Treasury should ensure social care agency costs are VAT free, as they are in the NHS.