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Embargoed until 00:01 Wednesday 15 October 2025
The Homecare Association has responded to Skills for Care’s latest State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report, which highlights the growing economic value of social care but ongoing challenges in recruitment and retention.
While the sector’s £77.8 billion contribution shows its key role in the economy, the Homecare Association warns that the apparent improvement in workforce capacity masks deep structural issues. Providers report continued difficultly filling posts, worsening funding pressures, and rising insecurity for careworkers. Much of the recent growth depends on international recruitment, a route the government has now closed, leaving services exposed and families waiting longer for support.
Our own 2025 Workforce Survey found:
- Nearly one in three homecare providers unable to meet demand, despite better retention.
- Seven in ten homecare providers deliver NHS tasks like catheter and wound care, but only a fraction receives funding.
- Half of homecare providers cite low wages compared to other sectors as their biggest recruitment barrier, yet public sector fee rates rose by just 5.6% in 2025 while provider costs increased by 10-12%.
Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, said:
“Skills for Care’s report shows how vital social care is to our economy, but it also exposes how fragile that contribution has become. Providers tell us they simply cannot recruit or retain enough careworkers to meet demand. Any short-term improvement in workforce numbers has depended on international recruitment, which the government has now shut down without a plan to replace it.
“We agree that pay and training matter, but you cannot fix workforce turnover unless you fix how care is commissioned. Councils and the NHS still buy care by the minute at rates that don’t cover basic costs. Until the government introduces a National Contract for Care and funds services properly, the workforce will remain unstable, and families will keep waiting for care.
“Social care keeps people independent, supports hospitals and employs 1.6 million people, but it runs on goodwill. Ministers must turn warm words into reform: fair contracts, fair funding and a fair deal for careworkers.”
ENDS
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