First ever adult social care workforce strategy
The new plan sets out ambitions on how the service will address current workforce needs by attracting, retaining, training and transforming the workforce to improve the experience of both staff and patients.
NHS Employers has worked closely with Skills for Care in supporting the development of the strategy. Read our chief executive Danny Mortimer’s response to the publication.
The strategy projects the workforce that is needed to deliver care over the next 15 years and sets out a plan for ensuring the sector has the right people with the right skills. The plan aligns to the ambitions of the NHS long term workforce plan, mirroring the three key pillars of train, retain and reform.
Recommendations have been set out on what is needed to upskill and train staff, attract people into the workforce, improve both pay and terms and conditions, and the need for a legislated workforce plan for social care.
Recommendations include:
Attract and retain
- The government should lead joined up, consistent action on pay - working with local government, unions and employers over several years - which offers improved pay and quality of role for people working in social care.
- The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Home Office and other key government bodies should work with the adult social care sector to develop a transition plan to reduce reliance on migration by supporting better domestic recruitment and retention.
- DHSC should commission a people promise for social care which focuses on improving pay, work-life balance and career development.
Train
- DHSC should work with the sector and across the system to continue to recognise delegated health tasks, ensuring that funding flows recognise staff doing more delegated health tasks.
- DHSC should continue to roll out the care certificate qualification to support new starters to achieve a level 2 qualification within three years.
- DHSC should commission a 'Messenger roadmap', aligning all the levers to develop and implement a leadership development roadmap for adult social care.
Transform
- Skills for Care, local government, NHS Employers and partners should collaborate to support ICSs in developing workforce strategies.
- A focus on attracting workers into social care in coastal and rural areas.
- Mandate workforce planning and strategy - there should be a statutory requirement for the secretary of state to lay before parliament a plan for how current and future workforce needs across adult social care will be met (mirroring the requirement for the NHS).
- An expansion of digital training.
Next steps
NHS Employers will continue to work with Skills for Care as a key stakeholder to champion and support the need for a legislated social care workforce plan backed by the government.
Further information
Read the full strategy on the Skills for Care website: A Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England.
Read the NHS Confederation's ICS Network director, Sarah Walters' comments on the strategy and the need for our new government to engage.
