Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care
Health and Social Care Committee
HC 115
Published 25 July 2022
Recommendations
3
Rejected
Para 40
Introduce comprehensive bursary scheme for nursing and midwifery students, guaranteeing NHS work.
Recommendation
The Government’s current target of recruiting 50,000 NHS nurses is not having any meaningful impact on the true scale of nursing shortages. The Government must introduce a new bursary scheme comprising full coverage of tuition fees, a non-means- tested grant …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects introducing a new bursary scheme and guaranteed NHS work, stating it is committed to delivering 50,000 more nurses through existing training investments, diversification, recruitment, and retention, noting a non-repayable training grant of £5,000 exists for eligible students.
Department of Health and Social Care
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35
Rejected
Para 132
Review student clinical placement tariff setting for transparency and equitable rates.
Recommendation
The Department of Health and Social Care must commit to reviewing the process by which student clinical placement tariffs are set to establish why there is such a large difference between medical and non-medical clinical student tariffs. This review should …
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Government Response Summary
The government does not agree to review the process by which student clinical placement tariffs are set, and instead focuses on its efforts to deliver 50,000 more nurses through investment and diversification of the training pipeline.
Department of Health and Social Care
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53
Rejected
Para 185
Increase annual funding for social care by £7 billion by 2023–24.
Recommendation
We reiterate the recommendation made in our ‘Social care: funding and workforce’ report that annual funding for social care should be increased by £7 billion by 2023–24. This will account for demographic changes, uplift staff pay in line with National …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a £7 billion annual increase in social care funding by 2023-24, instead committing up to £2.8 billion in 23-24 and £4.7 billion in 24-25, which it states is the largest increase in history.
Department of Health and Social Care
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54
Rejected
Ensure Fair Cost of Care calculations pay social care workers Band 3 NHS rates.
Recommendation
We welcome the Fair Cost of Care exercises as an opportunity to address the underfunding of the social care sector. However, these exercises must not be used as an excuse to reinforce the low pay which is endemic in the …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with calculating the cost of care based on paying care workers the same rate as equivalent NHS roles (Band 3 Agenda for Change), stating that care worker pay is the responsibility of independent care employers who consider local market conditions.
Department of Health and Social Care
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63
Rejected
Para 211
Provide sufficient funding to end “by-the-minute” homecare commissioning and improve care worker terms.
Recommendation
The Government must commit to providing sufficient funding for the social care sector so that Local Authorities and private providers are able to end the practice of “by- the-minute” commissioning of homecare. Local Authorities and private providers in turn must …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating it has already provided sufficient funding for local authorities to meet their duties in the social care sector.
Department of Health and Social Care
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68
Rejected
Para 220
Pass recruitment and retention funds directly to local providers for targeted campaigns.
Recommendation
Local providers are best suited to understand the recruitment challenges in their local areas. The Government must pass recruitment and retention funds directly to providers to be invested in local recruitment campaigns.
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to pass funds directly to providers, stating that local health and care systems are better placed to determine how to use workforce funds, which are already provided to local systems.
Department of Health and Social Care
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70
Rejected
Para 227
Waive international recruitment costs, including skills charge, for care workers and sponsors.
Recommendation
International recruitment is too expensive for some social care providers. The Government should consider helping by waiving the cost of sponsorship certificates and licenses, including the immigration skills charge, for care workers and their sponsors, for two years, and other …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to waive the cost of sponsorship certificates and licenses for care workers, deeming it unreasonable. They noted positive responses to current inclusion on the Shortage Occupation List and announced a £15 million support fund to help reduce recruitment costs and complexity for providers.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Conclusions (4)
52
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 182
NHS England employs 104,000 people in adult social care jobs. NHS England must undertake a review of pay in their social care jobs. In the review, NHS health and social care roles must be compared based on the skills, competencies, and levels of responsibility shown in various roles in each …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for NHS England to review pay in social care jobs, stating that NHS England does not directly employ an adult social care workforce and that care worker pay is the responsibility of independent care employers.
62
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 210
The practice of “by-the-minute” commissioning is having a devastating impact on the continuity of care offered to service users and the terms and conditions under which workers must provide care. The reality is that some care is commissioned in this way because social care is chronically underfunded by central Government. …
Government Response Summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the conclusion that social care is chronically underfunded, citing sustained government investment and increased spending by local authorities.
64
Conclusion
Rejected
It is completely unacceptable that the practice of not paying for travel time means that some domiciliary care workers are effectively working for less than the minimum or living wage. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, with the support of HMRC must re-examine sector-specific guidance to address complexities …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees that new guidance is required on travel time, stating that current legislation already entitles social care workers to be paid for time spent travelling between appointments and that HMRC proactively enforces minimum wage compliance.
65
Conclusion
Rejected
New regulations should be introduced by 2023 in which care workers initially employed on zero-hours contracts must be offered a choice of contract after three months of employment. The new regulations should state that domiciliary care workers must be paid for their time spent travelling between appointments, and that time …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation for new regulations on zero-hours contracts, supporting a range of contract types and noting a commitment to introduce a right to request a more predictable contract, while also stating existing minimum wage legislation covers travel time.