Page 55 - Unfair To Care 2024 - Who Cares Wins

WIN 3: ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY
A win for the economy: Fair pay for frontline care and support staff will unlock the economic power of social care. The care sector is huge – its 1.52 million workforce in England and 135,000 in Scotland – is one of the largest sector employers in the UK and bigger than the 1.4 million in the NHS. Every £1 invested in social care will bring
a return of £1.75 to the nation’s economy.
A win for local communities/society: With a more stable social care sector and a reduction in expenditure on agency and recruitment costs, the headroom for impact and innovation led by social care providers increases significantly.
Many providers, like Community Integrated Care, can point to developing innovative community and technological programmes which have been academically assessed as achieving an enormous financial and social return on investment. From enabling people to share their talents with society through work or volunteering, to leading national programmes that support greater social inclusion, health and wellbeing, a thriving social care sector can be a force for social and economic good.
A win for levelling up: Fair pay for frontline care and support staff will reduce regional inequalities including ‘high-price’ areas such as parts of the south-east, seaside towns, and rural and coastal locations where people cannot afford to live within a reasonable distance of the care provider’s services.
A win for working age adults: Fair pay means care services are more fully staffed and reduces the need for unpaid carer support to fill the gaps. This helps working age adults to stay in the paid workforce which reduces their reliance on benefits, promotes financial independence, and reduces the overall burden on the welfare system.
Around 80% of family carers state that they feel
lonely and isolated, and a further 72% say that their responsibilities have impacted their mental health61. The personal toll of the social care pay gap is felt far and wide. The impact of a lack of support, or the turbulence of inconsistent support, results in real – and frequently overlooked – challenges in the physical and mental health of carers, bringing further pressures to the NHS.
A win for welfare: 20% of the residential care workforce accessed Universal Credit and legacy benefits from 2017 to 2020, compared to 10% of all workers nationally. Fair pay directly reduces national expenditure on welfare benefits.
A win for immigration: Better pay for domestic frontline care and support staff reduces the need to recruit overseas workers to fill staff shortages and has a positive impact on the national economy.
SECTION 7: THE SOCIAL CARE TRIPLE WIN
61. www.carersuk.org
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A FURTHER 72%
SAY THAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES HAVE IMPACTED THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
AROUND 80% OF FAMILY CARERS STATE THAT THEY FEEL LONELY AND ISOLATED