Health Select Committee Social Care report: funding and workforce

Summary by the Care England Policy Team. |

The Health Select Committee published it’s report on Social Care: funding and workforce on Thursday 22nd October 2020. This is the first non-COVID related piece carried out by the committee. The report is broken into three sections with a set of recommendations. Care England gave written and oral evidence for this report. Below are the key messages and recommendations:

Summary by the Care England Policy Team

The Health Select Committee published it’s report on Social Care: funding and workforce on Thursday 22nd October 2020. This is the first non-COVID related piece carried out by the committee. The report is broken into three sections with a set of recommendations. Care England gave written and oral evidence for this report. Below are the key messages and recommendations:

Current funding problems in social care

• Paragraph 15 – The UK spends less money on social care than the average EU 14.
• Paragraph 28 – The diversity of the delivery of social care by thousands of mainly private companies has left the market unstable due to increasing costs, especially for staff as a result of the minimum wage.
• Paragraph 32 – An immediate funding increase is needed to avoid the risk of market collapse.
• Paragraph 36 – An increase in annual funding of ¬£3.9 bn by 2023–24 to meet demographic changes and planned increases in the National Living Wage. However, such an increase alone will not address shortfalls in the quality of care currently provided and further funding to address these issues is also required as a matter of urgency.
• Paragraph 37 – Alongside such a long-term funding settlement the Government should publish a 10 year plan for the social care sector as it has done for the NHS.

The social care workforce

• Paragraph 42 – PPE was a significant challenge for care homes well into the pandemic. In mid-May Professor Martin Green, stated “even now, we are still in a position where people are not getting enough PPE.”
• Paragraph 44 – Professor Green was clear that social care needs regular testing of staff and residents, stating “it has to be done two or three times a week if possible, so that we can really get on top of this.”
• Paragraph 45 – The Government must ensure that standards for weekly testing for care home staff are maintained including rapid turnaround times.
• Paragraph 49 – Improving the level of recognition afforded to social care workers must be a key focus for the Government to safeguard the future of the social care workforce.
• Paragraph 50 – Low pay is a significant determinant to the high turnover and vacancy rates within social care. Social care is perceived as low-skilled work due to amount that staff are paid. Increasing the pay of social care workers will help change this.
• Paragraph 51- There was a high degree of consensus in the written evidence that low pay is a significant factor undermining the resilience of the social care workforce.
• Paragraph 55 – An introduction of meaningful pay progression so that social care pay is equivalent to NHS staff.
• Establishing a clear career path with sustainable training opportunities that are aligned with the NHS.
• Paragraph 67 – The Government should work with Skills for Care and the social care sector to bring forward a plan to streamline the training of social care workers in order to improve routes of entry to the profession and improve career progression for existing social care workers.

Longer term reform of social care funding

• Paragraph 89 – The current system is unfair, confusing, demeaning, and frightening for the most vulnerable people in our society, and their families. It is therefore essential that the Government tackle the problems in the care sector as a priority.
• Paragraph 101- The Lords Economic Affairs Committee have suggested for the introduction of free personal care, which would cost ¬£5bn a year. This would put social care on a more equal footing with the NHS as it would allow all basic care needs to be free at the point of need.
• Paragraph 102 – The committee endorses a lifetime cap on care costs. This would be implemented under the provisions of the Care Act 2014. It would focus resources on the most severely affected people and protect those with very high care needs.
• Paragraph 104 – The committee recommends that there must be a funding increase of ¬£7bn per year by 2023–24 to cover demographic changes, uplift staff pay in line with the National Minimum Wage and to protect people who face catastrophic social care costs.
• Paragraph 105 – The full cost of adequately funding social care is likely to be substantially higher than ¬£7bn, potentially running to tens of billions of pounds. Although in a time of severe financial pressure, a bold response is required so that the sacrifices made by the social care workforce is properly recognised.

If members would like to send any feedback to us in relation to the report, please contact Info@careengland.org.uk