Page 4 - Unfair-To-Care-22-23-Flipbook

SECTOR SUPPORT
SECTION 1: WELCOME
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PHIL HOPE, CO-CHAIR
“Unfair To Care shows us that the recruitment and retention crisis in social care is here to stay for an entire generation unless the Government take serious action to fix it. Warm words about the rise in the National Living Wage are simply not enough to retain staff. The current number of social care vacancies is staggering and will only continue to grow without a commitment to fair pay for care.
The report makes it clear that it is untenable to lurch from crisis to crisis, with just a sticking plaster to remedy the far deeper problems in social care. Without immediate and long-term action to eradicate low
pay, social care is doomed forever to be the Achilles’ heel of an increasingly integrated health service.
The Future Social Care Coalition supports Community Integrated Care’s calls for an immediate and fair pay
rise for all frontline social care workers. We want to see
a Social Care People Plan to change the culture so all those who work in the sector are valued, respected
and properly rewarded. It is time for social care sector staff to be paid fairly and time for pay parity with the
NHS. Fair pay is the nettle that must be grasped by the Government. If it is not, an entire generation will be failed.”
OONAGH SMYTH, CEO
“Our latest ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England report’ showed that the number of vacant posts in adult social care has increased
by 52% in one year – the highest rate on record.
As this report notes, that means there are now around 165,000 vacant posts on any given day. Finding and keeping workers is a long-term challenge as our
data shows we are going to need around 480,000 extra people working in social care by 2035.
We know that four out of every five jobs in the wider economy pay more than the median pay for care workers.
That’s why we need a workforce plan for social care which identifies the numbers, skills mix and innovations in delivery that are needed to meet growing demand
– and prioritises staff recognition, value and reward.
Social care has a bigger workforce than the NHS, construction, transport, or food and drink service industries, and there are so many opportunities if people want
to specialise or progress into management roles.
We must talk much more positively about how rewarding it is to work in social care, so that we attract quality people to join our sector – and we must make it easier for the people who love working in social care to stay by improving terms and conditions and investing in their career development.
In short, our society needs a step change in how it values social care services and the great people who work with those who draw on care and support in our communities.”