UK | The latest Sector Pulse Check Report has called for a major shake-up in the adult social care sector.
The UK’s adult social care sector is teetering on the brink of collapse, according to the latest Sector Pulse Check Report by leading learning disability charity Hft and Care England, the foremost voice advocating for adult social care in England.
Whilst the Government’s announcement earlier this month of a new adult social care commission headed up by Baroness Louise Casey has been welcomed by the two organisations, the survey findings in the report reveal a sector that cannot wait until 2028. Hft and Care England are calling on the Government to take urgent action to prevent dire consequences for those who draw on care and support, providers and their staff, with two key policy asks.
Firstly, to commit to a credible, multi-year funding settlement for adult social care in the 2025 Spending Review, to financially support providers who have suffered years of underfunding, and ensure future funding accounts for wage increases, inflation, and National Insurance contributions.
Secondly, a fully funded plan to support the workforce and bring care workers’ pay and conditions in line with their NHS counterparts, arguing that status and respect are just as crucial as wages to make care work an attractive career for the next generation.
In support of these two key recommendations, Hft and Care England believe the Government should look for cross-party support to deliver a number of urgent measures, including fully funding the increase in Employer National Insurance contributions or exempt care providers entirely, as well as removing the ban on dependents for international social care staff and enforcing fee uplift announcement for the start of each new financial year, and mandatory payment timelines for local authority and Integrated Care Board payments, with penalties for delays.
The two leading organisations believe that the new commission does not need to spend months looking at what the issues are – it should work directly with the sector and use data such as the robust, multi-year Sector Pulse Check, Dilnot Commission findings and recommendations from the Darzi report to be able to identify and focus quickly on the actions to be taken.
Based on responses from more than 200 small, medium and large adult social care providers – collectively responsible for supporting over 128,000 people – the annual Sector Pulse Check report gives an overview of the current state of the social care sector and presents the case for urgent change.
90 percent of providers cited rising workforce costs as one of their top three cost pressures, with 95 percent reporting that increases in the National Living Wage are their deepest concern. This is due to the shortfalls in fee increases from local authorities to cover these costs – reported by 85 percent of providers – leaving them to absorb the gap.
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