Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Adult social care careers lack parity of esteem and pay with NHS roles
Conclusion
Care England said there was a widespread sense within the sector that careers in adult social care did not enjoy parity of esteem with the NHS and care workers were not afforded the same level of respect from the Government or across wider society.52 Pay for equivalent roles in adult social care is also lower than in the NHS and Community Integrated Care has reported that it could take more than 20 years before the pay gap is closed.53 Delivering workforce reforms
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, outlining existing and ongoing actions such as published workforce strategies, investment in recruitment/retention reforms, workforce training, the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (focused on pay), and £15 million for international recruitment initiatives.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 4.2 In 2021, the department published its workforce strategy in Chapter 5 of People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform and in 2023 published the subsequent plan Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care. 4.3 The overall vacancy rate in ASC was 9.9% in 2022-23, a decrease of 11,000 vacancies (-0.7 percentage points) compared to 2021-22. Skills for Care indicative monthly data (unweighted data) for independent providers shows since then the vacancy rate has fallen to 8.1% in February 2024. The department is investing in recruitment and retention through a number of reforms aimed at professionalisation including significant investment in workforce training and through the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund, which includes a focus on workforce pay. 4.4 Alongside implementing wider changes to the immigration system, the department has clear ethical standards laid out in the Code of Practice for International Recruitment, which covers both health and care sectors. The department has invested £15 million in 2023-24 to support local initiatives to increase and improve international recruitment in the adult social care sector.