Care Sector Insight (10.10.25)
We recently heard that the Government is considering exempting local authorities and NHS staff from the Fair Pay Agreement. Over the years, successive governments have been very good at imposing serious cost increases on the independent care sector and then abusing their power to exempt themselves. We saw this with the introduction of the unplanned employer's national insurance increases, and history is dotted with examples of the “do as I say, not as I do” approach being adopted by the Government.
The fact that the NHS and local authorities cannot afford these pay levels is an indicator of how impossible they are to deliver. It should also be remembered that the funding for the NHS is now £230 billion, but in contrast, the entire funding for adult social care is £28 billion. Despite this vast inequality in resources, the NHS is always exempt from burdens which the rest of us have to shoulder.
It is time this hypocrisy and double standard were called out and stopped. Ironically, governments constantly talk to the rest of us about transparency and equality, and yet they use and abuse their power regularly to exempt themselves from the harsh realities of the costs they are imposing on the rest of us. This double standard is seen in the personal behaviours of politicians who endlessly talk about taxes, and then find loopholes to avoid paying them, and by the way in which they try to wriggle out of the implications of their own decisions by exempting the public sector.
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England
Have Your Say: Financial Impact of the Employment Rights Bill on Adult Social Care Sector
We invite all care providers to take part in this crucial survey, which will play a key role in shaping the future of adult social care and its workforce. Every response matters, and we are deeply grateful for your time and insight. You can access the survey here, please complete your submission by 10th October.
We have prepared a short briefing note addressing the key points in the ERB as it pertains to the social care sector, which is accessible here.
For more information on the Employment Rights Bill, visit Anthony Collins’ ERB hub and Care England’s page on the Employment Rights Bill & Fair Pay Agreement with timeline and latest resources.
More than Memories: Truly Knowing the Person Behind the Dementia
Positive and supportive dementia care is never just about meeting basic care needs; it should be about seeing the whole person. Behind every person living with a diagnosis of dementia lies a life rich with experiences, relationships, and memories that continue to shape how someone feels, responds, and connects with the world around them. To know the person is to honour their story, their preferences, and their identity. Without this, care risks becoming a series of tasks, but with it, care becomes an act of recognition, respect, and love.
Financial Safeguarding For Those With Degenerative Brain Diseases
How do Degenerative Brain Diseases affect a person’s financial decisions?
Financially safeguarding vulnerable adults comes with its challenges. This is made more complex when your clients are diagnosed with degenerative brain diseases.
Fixing social care: the six key problems and how to tackle them
The government has established a commission, led by Baroness Louise Casey, to set out recommendations for a ‘fair and affordable’ social care system. It will begin by ‘identifying a commonly agreed picture of the problems faced’.
How your data is helping to shape social care policy
Mark Moulding, Head of External Affairs and Policy, discusses how data shared via Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is helping to influence decision-making for the social care sector.