Care England Press Release: Workforce Challenges

Care England, the largest and most diverse representative body for independent providers of adult social care has called for more to be done to stop the workforce crisis in adult social care.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“Workforce pressures are the key concerns for the sector at the moment; our staff are our best resource and without them the sector cannot function let alone support the NHS.  The Committee’s inquiry is timely as we need decisive action before it is too late and also to evaluate which interventions have been effective including why the NHS has received the lion’s share of funding”.

Care England submitted written evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s inquiry into workforce recruitment, training and retention.  The Committee, Chaired by Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, former Health Secretary, will examine the reasons behind staff leaving the health and social care sectors and how to tackle them.  Workforce recruitment and training will also be explored.

Martin Green continues:

“We need to develop some clear skills and competency frameworks, and a set of portable qualifications, so that people can easily move between employers in social care and indeed between the social care and health sectors. The adult social care workforce needs to be recognised as a profession; care workers are skilled individuals who need commensurate pay and career pathways”.