Health Management and Policy Alert

Understanding the state of cyber security in adult social care

 

This research report is intended to equip adult social care providers and their suppliers with the evidence and data needed to understand the extent of the risks posed by cyber. It was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care. The project was conducted by Ipsos UK in partnership with the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brookes University between July 2023 and May 2024.

• Report
• More detail

Pay in the adult social care sector as at December 2023

Skills for Care - 

On 1 April 2023 the National Living Wage (NLW) increased from £9.50 to £10.42 per hour for workers aged 23 and over. This report measures pay rates in the adult social care sector as at December 2023, examines pay trends, investigates any side effects in the adult social care sector as a result of the higher pay floor, and looks at the potential impact of the 2024 NLW (£11.44).

• Report

 

Local government reorganisation: evaluating the financial impact of population thresholds

County Councils Network -
In December 2024, the government’s English Devolution White Paper outlined plans for an overhaul of council structures, with government committing to end ‘two-tier’ local government, replacing 185 county and district councils with new unitary authorities in 21 areas. This analysis backs up government proposals for the creation of new unitary councils in England but argues that new authorities must cover areas of ‘at least’ 500,000 people or more in order to save billions and free up investment into local services.

• Report
• County Councils Network - news

Technology and digital: embracing technology to revolutionise services and power up productivity

County Councils Network - 

This report profiles how county and unitary councils are using latest technology and digital advances to improve local services. It shows how those councils are breaking new ground by deploying AI within their services, such as using the ‘world’s first’ pothole preventing robot, alongside examples such as saving staff time by transcribing calls and providing AI-generated recipes for residents.

• Report
• Press release

White paper: reducing pension opt-out rates in the care sector

Care England - 

This paper (produced together with Caunce O’Hara Insurance Brokers Ltd (COHIBL)) addresses the critical issue of high pension opt-out rates within the UK care sector, where more than 1.5 million employees provide essential services to vulnerable populations. Despite the success of auto-enrolment in increasing pension participation across various sectors, the care sector exhibits a higher rate of opt-outs. This trend poses significant risks to the long-term financial security of care workers, many of whom already face challenges related to low wages, job insecurity, and a lack of financial literacy. The paper sets out clear recommendations for reducing pension opt-outs.

• Paper
• Press release

Social care 360

The King's Fund - 

Explore the key trends in adult social care in England — including the money spent on social care, access to services and the makeup of the workforce — in The King's Fund's latest 360-degree review.

• Long read

Local government financial sustainability

National Audit Office - 
This report says that local government finances are becoming unsustainable, due to increasing demand on essential frontline services, the impact of delayed finance reform and the erosion of investment in preventative programmes. It also finds that it can be increasingly hard for people to access public services, as demand outstrips resources.

• Report
• National Audit Office - press release

Care workforce and their work-related quality of life: findings on work related quality of life and wellbeing – wave 1

Department of Health and Social Care -
The adult social care workforce survey was designed to collect information on a range of workforce conditions and how they affect work-related quality of life. The insights from the survey aim to support policy development to deliver the government’s ambitions to support the adult social care workforce. These include implementing the first fair pay agreement for adult social care, enhancing skills and building towards a national care service.

• Report
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

State of caring: the impact of caring on carers’ mental health and the need for support from social care services

Carers UK - 

Carers UK carried out an online survey with unpaid carers between June and August 2024. This report summarises their responses. As not all respondents completed every question in the survey, some figures are based on responses from less than 12,500 people. An increasing number of people looking after a disabled, older or ill relatives are experiencing poor mental health because they cannot take a break from caring. More than half (57%) of people say they feel overwhelmed ‘often’ or ‘always’. Over a third (35%) say they have ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ mental health, compared to 27% in the previous year’s survey.

• Report
• Press release

Identifying and supporting unpaid carers in England to improve integrated system working

Carers UK -
The purpose of this resource is to support health and care systems in England to improve the inclusion, support, and involvement of unpaid carers. It brings together statutory duties and best practice resources developed by the Carers Partnership (2022–2025), to help health and care professionals reduce the health inequalities carers face, better identify unpaid carers, and drive transformative change.

• Resource
• Carers UK - publications