Skills for Care, the workforce development body for adult social care in England, has launched a new Workforce Strategy for adult social care in England.

The strategy comes as new data shows the sector still has a vacancy rate around three times higher than the wider economy.

The Strategy aims to improve the quality of roles in adult social care, ensuring that the sector can attract and keep enough people with the right skills and values to provide the best possible care and support for the people who draw on it.

Skills for Care has led the development of the development of the Strategy, in collaboration with the Care Quality Commission and representatives of care workers, employers, local authorities, Integrated Care Systems and people who draw on care and support.

The Strategy highlights the impact of social care on improving lives, as well as its role in supporting economic growth.

It is designed to complement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan with a focus on attraction and retention, training and transformation.

The Workforce strategy covers the next 15 years.

According to Skills for Care, data shows that 540,000 additional social care posts will be needed by 2040 and 430,000 by 2035.

The Strategy sets out recommendation for the government, including leading joined-up and consistent action to improve pay, terms and conditions for care workers; continuing to invest consistently in training and clear career pathways; and introducing legislation to mandate strategic workforce planning and create a central body – outside of, but directed and supported by, government – to drive delivery.

The Strategy includes independent modelling of three different options to improve pay: increasing compliance with the National Living Wage and paying care workers for travel time, a minimum wage for carers of the Real Living Wage or £1 or £2 above the National Living Wage - and aligning with NHS pay bands.

It also recommends Skills for Care, local government, NHS Employers and partners should support Integrated Care Systems to develop their own workforce strategies and the Council of Deans of Health should encourage universities to reflect adult social care.

The social care sector has made a series of commitments alongside the recommendations, including that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will encourage good workforce planning by care providers; Skills for Care will streamline mandatory training for care workers and the CQC will share appropriate guidance; and Skills for Care, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and partners will create a development framework for Directors of Adult Social Services in local authorities.

Professor Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care and co-chair of the Workforce Strategy Steering Group, said: "Today is a turning point for social care, the people who work in it and the people who draw on it. Thanks to more than 20 years of leadership and strong relationships across the sector, Skills for Care has been able to bring together an unprecedented group of people and organisations to create something that will help to tackle some of the most profound challenges we face.

"The case for change is clear. We’re going to need hundreds of thousands more care workers, with the right skills and values, over the next 15 years – yet right now the sector still has a vacancy rate around three times higher than that of the wider economy and is struggling to compete in local job markets.

"A Workforce Strategy isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have if we’re going to build the workforce we need for the future. As the Prime Minister noted during the election campaign, reform of social care needs to start with the workforce – so we’re looking forward to working with the Government on the areas where their support will be crucial to bringing this game-changing Strategy to life.

"Social care – and the skilled professionals who work in it – enables people to live well and drives economic growth. This Workforce Strategy takes us a step closer to protecting and properly valuing that vital role."

Sir David Pearson, co-chair of the Workforce Strategy Steering Group, said: "The Workforce Strategy is the most important initiative in social care at the current time. It covers the essential things we need to do, so that we have a confident, capable and motivated workforce for the future. The people of this country need all the organisations to work together to deliver it, including the government, local government, regulators and employers.

"It's been a remarkable process of development and I’ve been honoured to co-chair, seeing first-hand the commitment and passion from people and organisations with a stake in the future of the sector coming together.

"The launch is just the first step and I feel excited about the implementation of the Strategy and the benefits for social care services in this country."
 

Responding to the launch, Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers said:

"Social care is beset with challenges including stubbornly high staff vacancy rates and rising demand. We continue to ignore this at our peril.

"This strategy could be the turning point we so greatly need. It provides a clear vision to bolster the workforce and put the sector on a sustainable footing.  

"We welcome the call for a more integrated workforce, which would help provide more personalised and preventative care in the community for our ageing population with increasingly complex needs.

"The government now has a critical opportunity to make inroads on social care reform by supporting and funding this strategy.

"Failure to act would have a catastrophic impact on those who give and receive care, unpaid carers and the wider health and care system.

"The NHS and social care go hand in hand. If both do not function properly, neither one will."