This Week at Care England
Government sets out next steps for the adult social care Fair Pay Agreement
Last Week, the Department of Health and Social Care published its formal response to last year's consultation on the Fair Pay Agreement process for adult social care. This is the biggest piece of workforce policy the sector has seen in years, it sets out how the new negotiating body will work, who sits on it, what it can negotiate, and the timeline through to the first agreement taking effect in April 2028.
To help you get to grips with it quickly, Care England has produced a detailed briefing on the government's response, available here.
To read Care England's statement on today's response, click here
To read the Care Provider Alliance's statement on today's response, click here
To read the government's response in full, click here
To read Care England's original draft response to the consultation, click here
We want to hear from you. If this response raises questions, concerns, or points you think we should be pushing back on, get in touch with Fraser Rickatson on FRickatson@careengland.org.uk or the policy team (Policy@CareEngland.org.uk).
CQC local authority assessments: what providers need to know
Care England has published a new member briefing examining what CQC’s assessment of local authorities means for care providers.
CQC’s work provides the first independent, systematic assessment of how councils across England are meeting their adult social care duties. The findings highlight widespread concerns around delays in assessments and reviews, inconsistent fee-setting, weak provider engagement and failure to account properly for workforce and market pressures.
The briefing explains how CQC’s findings can support providers in discussions with local authorities on fees, commissioning, safeguarding, transitions and market sustainability.
Members can also use their council’s individual CQC assessment as independent evidence when challenging poor practice or seeking improvements in local commissioning arrangements.
Read the full CQC local authority assessments member briefing.