Liz Jones, policy director, National Care Forum sets out some social care actions for the new government.
Following the resounding majority achieved by Labour there is a sense of optimism and energy circulating through the adult social care sector. The new government has a once in a generation opportunity to create real change for people who draw on care and support or have a need to, and their families and carers.
Labour’s key ambitions during the election campaign were the building of a National Care Service and implementation of a fair pay agreement for care workers. NCF and our members, who represent a diverse range of services, have the combined expertise to help the new administration shape and implement those plans in ways that empower adults of all ages with different circumstances, to live their best lives.
While speaking at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change ‘Future of Britain’ conference, the new secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting talked of the major change in mindset that he is instilling within his department: that they were now a department for economic growth which would be working alongside the Treasury to build prosperity and not the department always asking for money.
He reiterated the idea that the health of the nation and the health of the economy are inextricably linked and recognised the combined impact on economic growth that health and care can have.
The fact that social care’s contribution to economic growth has finally been acknowledged by a politician, and spoken out loud, is worthy of celebration but Streeting went further. He explained just how crucial social care providers are to the communities they operate in, acting as anchor institutions, significant employers and key contributors to local supply chains.
We have long been talking about the social care and support sector in these terms and it is refreshing to see this clearly understood by the new government. We welcome the change of language used and the acknowledgement that as significant employers, social care providers have a major contribution to make to the growth agenda.
Long-term approach
Within their communities, social care providers keep people well, help them take an active role in their communities, enable them to work if they can and stop family carers dropping out of the labour market. Collectively, this positions them as a powerful force for economic growth that will benefit the whole country.
This shift in thinking towards a long-term strategic approach, driven by economic growth is presenting an opportunity for the whole of the health and care sector. It opens up a dialogue about investment in prevention, supporting community health services as well as social care, and reinvigorates public health approaches to achieving better health outcomes for local populations.
The rhetoric is helpful. But what of the deliverables that will actually start to tell a different story from the bleak outlook presented by the recent Association of Directors of Adult Social Services Spring survey?
The ADASS survey showed how people’s changing needs are impacting the availability of care and support within communities. Reflecting on a difficult period of sustained pressure and demand in some parts of the health system, the survey’s findings showed that people coming forward for assessment, whether from home or hospital, have increasingly complex needs. Additionally, it is crystal clear that local authority budgets have not kept pace, meaning many people are not getting the care they need, when and where they need it.
Fair pay
One of Labour’s main manifesto promises was the introduction of a fair pay agreement for care workers. Addressing the pay of care workers is of course a welcome measure. Pay really matters; low pay contributes to chronic staffing problems which affects quality of care and the high incidence of poverty among care workers.
Beyond a firm commitment to establishing a fair pay agreement for care workers, there needs to be more detail on how a fair pay agreement is actually defined and negotiated and how it would work in practice for the adult social care sector. The current infrastructure does not adequately allow for holistic representation of either employers or employees, and it will be critical to address this urgently to represent the best interests of the 1.6m people who work in social care.
Fairer pay of course is not the only improvement needed for care workers, and there are many calls to move beyond that ambition and embrace the notion of a fair package. Better terms and conditions and opportunities to progress through training and development remain essential.
Skills for Care recently published its social care workforce strategy which was developed in collaboration with a wide range of organisations, including NCF, representatives of our membership and people with a stake in the future of the sector.
Sustainable workforce
In it, Skills for Care sets out a clear roadmap for achieving a sustainable social care workforce equipped with the right training and skills to provide high quality care for those who need it now and in the future. It presents the new government with the immediate opportunity to take decisive and positive action which could help fix the workforce crisis. Taking forward the learnings and recommendations from the wide range of providers, organisations, care workers and people who draw on care who contributed to it and turning them into a funded, long-term plan.
Using the strategy as a launchpad would clearly communicate the new government’s intention to double down on its recognition of the economic contribution of social care and amplify the ambitions set out in the launch of Skills England.
Social care would prove a brilliant test case when considering how the proposed ecosystem of both central government and local government, businesses, training providers and unions could come together to upskill workers and enable them to make a valuable contribution to the government’s industrial strategy.
So, there is much to welcome now the new government is in place as well as many opportunities for both the health and care sector to provide valuable input to help transform their mission-driven ambitions into actionable plans. We want to work together with the new government to help address the immediate priorities, as well as the longer-term goals, and stand ready with our diverse membership to help transform social care.
About the author
Liz Jones is the Policy Director of the National Care Forum, joining the organisation in May 2019. At the NCF, Liz leads the policy and research at NCF, working closely with academic partners to influence and champion members’ voices. Liz has a strong background in social policy, care and support and health and housing, with over 20 years’ experience across the civil service, local government and the charity sector, including Methodist Homes (MHA), Nottingham City Council and Manchester City Council.
