Policy Updates 16th October 2022
The following policy updates have been curated from the week commencing 16th October 2022.
Valuing Care Guidance
Earlier this year we received the good news that we were successful in getting funding from the NIHR School for Social Care Research for conducting what we named the Valuing Care Guidance (VCG) study. The study builds on the work you supported as part of the scoping study last year, and some of you are already involved in the study as sites or advisors.
The Valuing Care Guidance study seeks to explore how adult social care guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been implemented by a small number of localities in England and Wales, and explore the costs and consequences linked to their implementation. The study seeks to generate knowledge how to successfully embed care guidance in practice. The study is an exploratory, mixed method study that will be conducted over the next 21 months by a team of researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. More information can be found in the attached study protocol.
We are in early stages of the research and setting up the study. We will be in touch to update you on the VCG study’s progress, including opportunities to become involved in a Partners and Stakeholder Group. If you prefer not to be included in this conversation kindly let us know.
Finally, although we have engaged with several sites already, there is a possibility for one more site in England to be included. Please let us know if you want to be involved as a site or recommend a site: “Sites will gain from an independent and rigorous analysis of the efforts they have undertaken to improve adult social care practice, hence illustrating the value of their work in a way that speaks to commissioners or government agencies. At the same time, the nature of the study will be exploratory and participatory, which means the research will be shaped to meet local priorities and needs. There will be learning and knowledge exchange opportunities throughout the study.” We are happy to send more information for interested sites on request and have an informal chat.
Skills for Care - The state of Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report 2022
As you may be aware, Skills for Care publish an annual report on the state of the adult social care sector and workforce which provides a comprehensive analysis of the social care workforce in England and the characteristics of then 1.5m people working in it. I am pleased to give you early sight of the 2022 State of report along with a press release which are embargoed until 00:01 on Tuesday 11 October 2022.
A virtual launch event is taking place on Tuesday 11 October 09:30 – 11.30am, if you would like to attend and haven’t already booked a place you can still do so here.
Since 2012/2013, we have published annual reports which help us and our partners understand the trends in the workforce, identify challenges and target solutions. Our previous reports have helped inform key decisions at all levels, and the data this year highlights the importance of implementing the ‘People at the heart of care’ white paper and the need for a workforce plan for social care.
The key findings include:
An estimated 17,900 organisations were involved in providing or organising adult social care in England as at 2021/22. Those services were delivered in an estimated 39,000 establishments. There were also 65,000 individuals employing their own staff.
The total number of adult social care posts in 2021/22 was 1.79m. 1.62m of these posts were filled by a person (filled posts) and 165,000 were posts that employers were actively seeking to recruit somebody to (vacancies).
The vacancy rate has risen to 10.7%, the highest rate since we started recording in 2012/13. The number of vacancies increased by 52% in 2021/22 (by 55,000 to 165,000 vacant posts).
The number of full-time equivalent filled posts was estimated at 1.17 million and the number of people working in adult social care was estimated at 1.50 million in 2021/22; more than in the NHS (headcount of 1.4 million).
In April 2021, the NLW rose from £8.72 to £8.91 (2.2% in nominal terms). This increase contributed to a 5.4% increase in the median nominal care worker hourly rate from March 2021 to March 2022. This was the second highest increase over the recorded period. However, in real terms, the median hourly rate decreased by 1.5% between March 2021 and March 2022.
Our forecasts show that if the number of adult social care posts grows proportionally to the projected number of people aged 65 and over in the population between 2021 and 2035, an increase of 27% (480,000 extra posts) would be required by 2035.
The adult social care sector was estimated to contribute £51.5 billion gross value added (GVA) per annum to the economy in England (up 2% from 2020/21).
The report is produced using the data from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS). We are grateful to all the social care providers who use the ASC-WDS online service, without their contributions, estimates of this detail and accuracy wouldn’t be possible.
If you would like to know more from the data and what services Skills for Care can offer please contact influencing@skillsforcare.org.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Oonagh Smyth
CEO Skills for Care