The King’s Fund has published their annual Social Care 360 report, which outlines 12 key trends across adult social care in England over recent years.
The report states there is “little to suggest that social care has turned a corner”, as more people in England need support, but fewer than ever are receiving it.
Although the vacancy rate fell from 10.7% to 9.9%, this can largely be attributed to the recruitment of the international workforce due to changes of the government policy in February 2022. However, this is still the second highest vacancy rate since Skills for Care began collecting data in 2012/2013.
The report also found median-care worker pay has increased by 15% since 2015/2016. Although the median pay for other sectors has risen at a more increased rate, leaving the care sector behind. Which has caused many to leave the sector for higher wages.
To improve the sector for all, the King’s Fund has asked the government to:
- increase funding to stabilise the sector and enable providers to attract, retain and train the staff needed to meet demand
- implement funding and eligibility reforms to make the system fairer
- undertake reforms to improve quality and outcomes.
Further analysis on service delivery, financial eligibility, the cost of commissioning and more can be found here. Alongside previous editions of the Social Care 360 report.
