Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee

Conclusion 73

Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care Published 25 Jul 2022 Paragraph 235 Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Local Authorities must evaluate the risk of modern slavery in their adult social care supply chains and ensure that the risk of modern slavery is assessed as part of the due diligence processes at the commissioning and contracting stage and in performance monitoring. They should ensure that there is effective information sharing between Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care 67 Local Authorities staff, recruitment agencies, and care workers to reduce occupational risks such as non-enforcement of minimum and living wage, and threats of physical or sexual violence.

From: Health and Social Care Committee, Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care (HC 115), paragraph 235, 25 July 2022

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 21 April 2023 (deadline 25 September 2022).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response sets out partial and varied positions on the Committee's 73 recommendations, with some agreed, some agreed in principle, and others not agreed, and points to the forthcoming Long Term Workforce Plan.

  • On workforce planning (Recommendations 1 and 2) it states "We agree this recommendation" and says the Long Term Workforce Plan will include independently verified projections for 5, 10 and 15 years, which it has "committed to publishing" "shortly".
  • On a new nursing bursary scheme (Recommendation 3) it says "We do not agree with this recommendation", citing the training grants already available to nursing, midwifery and allied health students.
  • On maternity funding and workforce plans (Recommendations 9 and 10) it states "We disagree with these recommendations", but says it "will consider" the forthcoming Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists report and "will keep further funding under review".
  • On social care funding it states "We do not accept" the recommendation of an extra £7 billion a year by 2023-24, pointing to up to £2.8 billion in 2023-24 and up to £4.7bn in 2024-25.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error