After announcing plans for the health and social care budget on April 4th 2023, the government has unfortunately made the decision to drastically reduce funding. The government confirmed that the £500m investment in the workforce, committed in December 2021, has been cut to £250m – but, what does that mean for adult health and social care?
In 2022, over 1.5 million people in the UK worked in adult social care – just under half a million then left their jobs the same year. This meant more than a quarter of the workforce left their job in adult health and social care, equating to just under 200,000 vacancies which was a 52% increase from the year before and the highest on record. As you can see from these figures, there is a current gap in the health and social care sector with thousands of jobs currently on the market with the decrease in funding only adding to the recruitment challenges faced by the sector. Source: Skills for Care
The UK Health Minister, Helen Whately, has stated that the updated proposals were about “recognising care with the status it deserves”. Her department added that this was a “refreshed plan to bolster the adult social care workforce”.
Despite this, several charities, organisations and NHS leaders have noted that this is half of the funding previously offered in December 2021 to try and attract more people into the sector. Currently, around 1 in 10 posts in health and social care jobs are vacant with staffing shortages rising by more than 50% in the past year – more than 500,000 people are waiting for care and this move is likely to set back care “for years to come” according to providers.
Sarah McClinton, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said: “The government has a strong long-term vision for improving adult social care, but this plan leaves their vision in tatters. It ducks the hard decisions and kicks the can down the road again before the next election.”
Sarah McClinton also pointed out that the government is holding back £600m from the £1.7bn of reform programmes announced last year at a time when “adult social care is in crisis, with staff vacancies at an all-time high and half a million people waiting for care and support.”
“Now is not the time to be holding funding back, it needs to reach people who need care and support as soon as possible,” she added.
In the next few weeks, we can expect a report on a more varied set of policies being brought on the help promote the adult health and social care workforce.
Skills for Care has noted that: “…the UK may need an extra 480,000 workers in adult health and social care by 2035 to meet the expected demand. Meanwhile, 430,000 carers could be lost in the next 10 years if those aged 55 and over decide to retire.”
The government is currently working with Skills for Care to develop a pathway.
Skills for Care CEO Oonagh Smyth stated: “People who draw on care and support, the workforce, managers and employers will know what to expect and can make informed choices that are right for them.
“The pathway must build on what works, so I would encourage anyone involved in delivering, or accessing, social care to make sure your voices are heard as part of the call for evidence to influence the training and career progression pathways of tomorrow.”
With the above in mind, what do you think? We’d love to hear your opinion on the current adult health and social care funding cuts.
Join in the conversation online – you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
Booth, R. and correspondent, R.B.S. affairs (2023). Government ‘to cut £250m from social care workforce funding’ in England. The Guardian. [online] 17 Mar. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/17/government-to-cut-250m-from-social-care-workforce-funding-in-england-report-says.
Devereux, E. (2023). Uproar after funding promised to social care workforce cut in half. [online] Nursing Times. Available at: https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/social-care/uproar-after-funding-promised-to-social-care-workforce-cut-in-half-04-04-2023/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2023].
Kenyon, M. (2023). Adult social care budget cut ‘deeply disappointing’. [online] Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Available at: https://www.lgcplus.com/services/health-and-care/adult-social-care-budget-cut-deeply-disappointing-04-04-2023/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2023].
News, I. (2023). Lack of clarity over promised social care funding labelled ‘an insult to the sector’. [online] ITV News. Available at: https://www.itv.com/news/2023-04-03/millions-cut-from-funding-commitments-for-social-care [Accessed 6 Apr. 2023].
Vulnerable to lose out as care funding held back – council chiefs. (2023). BBC News. [online] 4 Apr. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65171795 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2023].
Webber, A. (2023). Halving social care workforce funding ‘bitterly disappointing’. [online] Personnel Today. Available at: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/halving-social-care-workforce-funding/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2023].
Image provided by Vonecia Carswell.
