NCF Member Briefing 14.7.23
Skills for Care Size and Structure of the Workforce
Earlier this week Skills for Care published an update to its report on the size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England. While some of the trends have improved when compared to last year, this hides the fact that they are still heading in the wrong direction compared top previous years. The report found that:
The number of filled posts increased by around 1% (20,000) between April 2022 and March 2023. However, the previous year, the number of filled posts fell for the first time on record, by around 4% (60,000). This year’s increase is not enough to reverse that previous fall.
At the same time, the vacancy rate decreased to 9.9%, or around 152,000 on any given day, compared with 10.6% (around 164,000) the previous year.
Some employers are using international recruitment to help them address recruitment and retention challenges, with around 70,000 people recruited from abroad into direct care-providing roles after adult social care was added to the Shortage Occupation List in February 2022. This compares to 20,000 last year.
The total number of filled posts in adult social care in 2022-3 was estimated at 1.635 million. These posts were filled by 1.52m people which is 5.2% of the total workforce in England, and more than the number of people working in the NHS, schools or food and drink manufacturing.
The report shows that the workforce situation in social care remains critical. The small reduction in vacancies is a direct result of international recruitment. Over 70,000 workers have joined the English care workforce from other countries, and their presence is a contribution to be celebrated, whilst at the same time recognising it masks a further shrinking of the domestic workforce. The gaping strategic hole created by the absence of a funded workforce plan for social care could not be any clearer, and the government must take action now.
You can read our full response here.
Change in Ministerial Remits
Helen Whately, Minister for Care, now has urgent and emergency care in her remit. Will Quince, now has responsibility for cancer and the majority of major diseases, with the exception of dementia which remains with Helen Whately.
Public Sector Pay Rises
You will no doubt have seen the news yesterday that the government is planning to honour the various independent pay review bodies' recommendations on public sector pay, albeit, without the additional funding to fully implement it. This is being offered to doctors, teachers and a number of other professions and comes in addition to the deal for nurses last month of a 5% pay rise. While the teachers' unions are calling on members to accept a 6.5% offer, doctors are likely to continue striking (they have been offered at least a 6% pay rise which falls short of their 35% demand for pay restoration). The RCN will be one to watch as they are clearly unhappy that they received a lower pay increase last month than other NHS staff have now been offered, but they failed to reach the necessary threshold in a ballot to continue striking. In any case, these pay rises may present challenges for adult social care recruitment as the gap between pay in adult social care and the NHS increases.
Strike-breaking agency worker regulations ruled unlawful
Unison has won a High Court case which has found legislation introduced last summer to allow employers to use agency workers to replace those on strike, unlawful.
AI and digital regulations guidance
New online guidance has been launched to help developers and adopters of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology learn what regulations to follow and how to evaluate effectiveness. The AI regulation service is facilitated by the NHS Transformation Directorate and its partners to support the adoption of AI and data-driven technologies. Read more here.
Hot Weather Guidance for Carers
This will hopefully become useful if it ever stops raining! UKHSA is circulating the following.
Hot weather can pose a range of health threats to elderly and vulnerable people so new elearning has launched increase carers’ awareness of the risks and show how to protect themselves and those they care for.
The elearning has been created in collaboration with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency and is hosted on the Learning Hub.
It is intended for front line carers who are supporting elderly and vulnerable people both in domestic and care settings. The modules explain the health risks of excess and extreme heat in care settings and demonstrate quick and simple measures to reduce the health risk.
The session is based on guidance published by the UKHSA on hot weather and health.
To access the training visit the webpage https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/hot-weather-guidance-for-carers/.
Parliamentary Recess
At the end of next week, the House of Commons will begin the summer recess. Next week may see a flurry of legislative activity and announcements from government ahead of that, but we are not currently expecting anything social care related. Ahead of this, we will be joining the APPG on Adult Social Care and the My Vote My Voice campaign for a parliamentary event calling for voting to be made more accessible and for clearer pathways to politics for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. You can find more information on their website. You can sign their petition here: https://www.change.org/p/myvotematters-sign-our-petition-to-make-politics-accessible-for-all.