Helen Whately states that the reforms announced by the government on Tuesday will focus on “granting care the status it deserves.” The plan includes the development of a new Care Certificate credential and the provision of funding for hundreds of thousands of training positions. However, government funding for the reforms has been cut in half, from £500 million in 2021 to just £250 million this year – £50 million less than originally planned.
The government of the United Kingdom has announced a set of reforms aimed at enhancing the social care workforce in England. The measures include the creation of a new Care Certificate qualification and a commitment to invest “at least” £250 million in training places and technology over the course of three years.
However, this amount is only half of what the government promised in 2021. In addition, the original budget of £150 million for sector-wide digitization has been reduced to £100 million, with £50 million already spent. The previously announced £25 million to support unpaid carers and the £300 million mentioned in the white paper to integrate housing into local health and care strategies have also not been mentioned.
Helen Whately, minister of social care, stated that the package will “give care the status it deserves” and that it will increase the workforce and free up hospital beds. Others, however, have voiced concern over the low level of investment, with Age UK describing it as “not remotely enough to transform social care” and the King’s Fund health think tank describing it as “a pale shadow of the comprehensive reform to adult social care that this government promised when it came to power.”
The Department of Health and Social Care insists that all promised funds will be allocated to social care, but it has not yet allocated the entire budget. In March, a report from Care England and the HfT care provider warned that the cost of adult social care is “on the brink,” with low pay for care workers identified as the greatest barrier to recruitment and retention.
The government of the United Kingdom has recently announced a set of reforms to develop the social care workforce in England, including the creation of a new Care Certificate qualification and a commitment to invest “at least” £250 million over three years in training places and technology. However, this amount is only half of what was promised by the government in 2021, prompting criticism from sector organisations and health think tanks that it falls short of what is required.
In March, Care England and the HfT care provider released a report warning that the cost of adult social care is “on the brink,” with low pay for care workers identified as one of the primary barriers to recruitment and retention. Helen Whately, minister of social care, stated that the package will “give care the status it deserves” and that it will increase the workforce and free up hospital beds.
The Department of Health and Social Care insists that all promised funds will be allocated to social care, but it has not yet allocated the entire budget. However, sector organisations remain sceptical as to whether these measures will be sufficient to address the long-term challenges facing social care and whether they will be able to provide adequate support to those who require it the most.
