The Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England - what next?

Lynne Bowers is a dedicated associate with Partners in Care and Health , with over a decade of experience in social care policy. Her extensive background includes significant contributions to healthcare policy at regional, national, and departmental levels. Lynne’s career began with clinical training, followed by hands-on experience at the frontline in both social care and the NHS. In this blog, she writes about the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England and the future policy and changes referenced in the strategy.

It has been more than a month since the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England was launched and The King's Speech for the new government was delivered the previous day. Since then, we have also seen unprecedented and disturbing violent disorder in some parts of the country, which included the reported racial or religious targeting of care workers.

After a particularly turbulent few weeks, now seems a good point to return to the Workforce Strategy. It is a comprehensive document led by Skills for Care with collaboration from Partners in Care and Health and others across a complex sector.

The hope of the sector at the launch of the strategy, in the room, online, and across the country was palpable.

In this blog the focus is on training, workforce planning, future policy and future changes referenced in the strategy.

Care Workforce Pathway

The Care Workforce Pathway is a collaborative endeavour between the DHSC and Skills for Care with key stakeholder partners across the sector. Phase one was published in January 2024.

Phase two is currently in consultation and includes consideration of the roles of registered managers, deputy managers, personal assistants, and complex care.

This work is producing standards for each role at each level and across all disciplines. It could be concluded that it will be the basis for the national standards to be produced by the National Care Service.

The Workforce Strategy recommends career development frameworks for social workers, social care occupational therapists, social care nurses and registered managers. It is anticipated that the regulated professionals will be considered within Phase 3 of the Care Workforce Pathway, in 2025. Complex care includes a review of the Delegated Tasks framework, and also calls for a conscious policy direction to reflect the rising levels and complexity of need and cost shift from NHS to local authorities, driving biggest council overspends on adult social care.

A development framework for Directors of Adult Social Care (DASSs) is also recommended and is currently being led by ADASS. A Messenger and Pollard review is requested for a social care road map, and it is recommended that the Graduate Leadership Programme be reinstated.

Further support for social care nurses includes the development of dedicated resource from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and that the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHCR) should support social care nurse led research. This should be together with a broader review of current research priorities and funding in adult social care.

It is recommended that the NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence should work with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) with a focus on social care.

A professional body for registered managers should be further investigated. All regulated professionals should be supported with communities of practice and an assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE), for newly qualified people.

There are a variety of communities of practice and professional networks. A central entity could create a map and directory of existing forums and identify potential gaps for future development.

Workforce planning

In the section on workforce planning, it is recommended that every area should have a social care academy. Councils know their labour market, demography, population needs and local economy. The strategy calls for strong leadership at national, regional, and local level. The sector has a small infrastructure at national, regional and local level. It is hoped that the National Care Service could coordinate and strengthen the current facility.

It recommends that integrated care systems (ICSs) work with councils, higher education institutions and training providers, the Department of Work and Pensions, and Job Centres to better understand social care workforce development and planning.

ICSs remain at an early stage. There have been recent publications on their progress to date. Fundamental differences in infrastructures, funding flows and models of health, between the NHS and other sectors still need to be overcome, with valiant efforts in some places.

Particular challenges are noted for rural and coastal areas, and further research is recommended.

There is reference to the ‘One Workforce’ philosophy with emphasis that this demands equal partnership and investment.

Technology and prevention

Technology is a consistent theme throughout the report with recognition of the opportunities to transform the sector and care provided. It calls for the DHSC and the NIHCR to research new roles and there is a case study on the role of care technologist.

Prevention is also a key theme throughout the report and referenced in both The King's Speech and recent policy announcements by the new government. The strategy comments that prevention can be and is, enabled by, and championed across, multidisciplinary (multiagency) teams. The recent changes announced in mental health legislation have been welcomed.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Organisations, including the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) condemned the recent extremist far-right violent disorder in which people of diverse faiths, asylum seekers, immigrants and minority groups were targeted, as ‘deplorable’ and ‘appalling’.

We have a diverse workforce, and we serve a diverse population. We have experienced significant international recruitment recently. The events earlier this month highlight more than anything the importance of inclusion and wellbeing. They are essential to people being treated with the care, dignity and respect they deserve.

The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standards continue to be rolled out nationally and the government is introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting. Surfacing issues enables the constructive consideration of why they exist and how to tackle them.

Integration is framed as opportunities for joint training, joint posts, and secondments. There is also the requirement for Home First approaches, also indicated by the new government.

Next steps

The strategy recommends a central national coordinating body, and the government has signalled its intention to create a National Care Service (NCS). The NCS will develop national standards. The government has made a commitment to a Fair Pay Agreement for the social care workforce and announced the intention to have a Royal Commission.

The government has stated that there will be regular independent workforce planning across health and social care.

There is much that the sector already delivers, but the transformation required for 21st century social care, and the implementation of this strategy, needs the support of government, national and local partners.