Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Deferred
Require cross-government impact assessments for all workforce policy changes impacting the social care sector.
Recommendation
We recommend that any future policy changes or fiscal decisions relating to the workforce should be accompanied by a cross-government impact assessment that sets out the immediate and ongoing consequences for the social care sector. As part of this, the Government should set out what mitigating actions they would take to minimise any adverse effects on the social care sector, and how that compares to actions being taken to support the NHS. (Recommendation, Paragraph 74)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government focuses on actions to support carers, committing to increasing the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from April 2025 and reviewing Carer's Leave and the benefits of introducing paid Carer's Leave, rather than addressing the recommendation for cross-government impact assessments for social care workforce policy changes.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The government considers that any future policy changes or fiscal decisions relating to the workforce should be accompanied by existing procedures for impact assessments rather than a new form of cross-government impact assessment. The government does not, therefore, accept this recommendation. Where policy changes made by other departments have potential significant impacts for the adult social care sector, DHSC works closely with those departments to consider impacts and, where necessary, mitigations, and ministers in other departments may seek collective agreement from the cabinet or its committees.
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