Health Management and Policy Alert

The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2024

Skills for Care -
This report finds that international recruitment drove improvements in the adult social care workforce in the year to March 2024. It shows that the workforce grew (to 1.71 million filled posts) and vacancies fell (to 131,000 on any given day) for the second successive year. However, the sector faces ongoing domestic recruitment and retention challenges.

• Report
• Skills for Care - news

Evidencing the outsourcing of social care provision in England

University of Oxford. Department of Social Policy and Intervention - 

This report highlights the outsourcing trends and quality concerns in adult and children's social care in England. The findings are crucial to understanding the care crisis impacting both sectors, as well as the challenges of maintaining quality care amid increased marketisation. The report underscores the need for data-driven approaches to social care reform in England. The growing reliance on private for-profit providers, particularly in residential settings like care homes and children's homes, raises important questions about whether current policies deliver sufficient quality and access across the country.

• Report
• More detail

The financial outlook for councils this Parliament: a review of local government spending need & funding

County Councils Network -
This report warns that unless the government acts in the Budget and Spending Review, local authorities in England face a funding shortfall of £54bn over the next five years – leaving the prospect of them providing ‘little more’ than care services by the end of the decade in order to avert financial insolvency. It reveals this funding black hole is fuelled by rising demand and costs in just three service areas: adult social care, children’s services, and home to school transport. Together, they account for 83% of the total increase in costs councils are projected to be spending on services by 2030.

• Report
• County Councils Network - news

The state of health and care of older people in England 2024

Age UK - 

This analysis finds that two million older people in England are now living with some unmet need for social care. Drawing on the latest available data, the report concludes that England’s health and care services continue to be under enormous pressure so that, despite the best efforts of many dedicated staff, they are currently unable to meet the needs of all the older people presenting who require treatment, care and support.

• Report
• Press release

What are unpaid carers, who are they and how often do they provide care?

The King's Fund - 
Unpaid carers or informal carers – anyone who provides care, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support – play a key role in the health and care system. Here we unpack who is likely to be an unpaid carer, how often care is provided, who people care for and how care is funded.

• The King's Fund - publications

Learning and Development Support Scheme for the adult social care workforce: a guide for employers

Department of Health and Social Care -
Eligible adult social care employers in England can claim staff training costs from the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS). The LDSS is available for non-regulated care staff, including deputy and Care Quality Commission-registered managers and agency staff, within the adult social care workforce. Staff taking the training must be in qualifying roles.

• Guidance
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

Care Quality Commission: regulatory performance in homecare

Homecare Association - 

This report reveals critical failures in the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) regulation of homecare services in England. This puts people drawing on homecare at risk and causes harm to care providers. The analysis identifies several key issues undermining CQC's performance: severe resource constraints; dysfunctional funding model; ineffective IT systems; misalignment with local authorities; and poor leadership and management of change.

• Report
• Press release

Taking the next step for working carers: introducing a new right to paid Carer’s Leave

Carers UK -
This report argues that introducing paid Carer’s Leave could boost productivity, whilst improving millions of workers’ lives. It estimates that it would cost the Government between £5.5 million to £32 million annually, if the statutory right to five days of unpaid Carer’s Leave for all employees with unpaid caring responsibilities was turned into paid Carer’s Leave. In contrast, the costs of people having to leave work because of their caring responsibilities – based on Carer’s Allowance payment figures and lost tax revenues – is an estimated £1.3 billion a year.

• Report
• Carers UK - press release

What can the new government learn from other countries’ attempts to reform pay in social care?

Nuffield Trust - 

This long read looks at the lessons England might learn from other countries when it comes to reforming pay for care workers, and the key principles to consider in any pay reform.

• Long read

Carer’s Allowance overpayments

Carers UK - 

This report which brings together the experiences of 138 unpaid carers who have had a Carer’s Allowance overpayment. The report calls for swift action to prevent unpaid carers unwittingly building up huge debts after going over the earnings limit, which is causing financial hardship, anxiety and ill-health for unpaid carers.

• Report
• Press release