Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 81
Review provision of affordable, flexible childcare for health and social care staff.
Recommendation
The Government should review the provision of affordable and flexible childcare for people working in the health and social care sector, and assess whether it is possible to improve it.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the statement but responds by detailing broader cost of living support, affordable housing initiatives, and innovative transport options for care workers, rather than committing to a specific review of affordable and flexible childcare for the health and social care sector.
Paragraph Reference:
81
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government agrees with this statement. The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter, based on what energy price would’ve been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This support will be in place from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023. A review will be launched to consider more targeted measures to support households with their energy bills after this period. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. Employers across the NHS are making an effort to support their staff with the cost of living challenge, encouraging staff to have conversations about financial wellbeing and highlighting the range of employee benefits already available to many NHS employees. Many NHS organisations are already providing a range of support on issues such as travel, childcare and housing and will continue to adapt these offers to meet the needs of staff going forward. NHS Employers have published a guide for employers here on how they can support their staff on the cost of living challenge. The provision of affordable housing is part of the Government’s plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. Many local authorities and providers are looking at innovative ways of providing transport for care workers, some have provided access to e-scooters and e-bikes or supported with car insurance costs where a vehicle is required for work. This is likely to have aided the retention of care workers in the sector. Furthermore, we made available an additional £3.7 billion of funding for councils for 2022/23, which includes £1 billion specifically for social care.