Last Updated on March 13, 2024

A new report to be launched in Parliament today will reveal a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the workforce crisis in social care. Exclusive public and MP polling has found consensus that the social care pay gap and workforce shortages must be addressed. The report will also highlight the importance of a 2.6 million strong ‘social care vote’, comprised of people who work in and draw on social care in England – an average of 5,000 people per constituency – that could have a defining impact on almost 100 marginal constituencies over the course of the 2024 election.

A new report by the national social care charity, Community Integrated Care, Who Cares Wins: Unfair To Care 2024, will, for the first time, reveal the size of the social care pay gap, its personal, social and societal impacts and the true feelings of MPs and the public in exclusive polling of adults in England and a representative sample of parliamentarians.

Unfair To Care 2024 used exclusive measurement by Korn Ferry – an international leader in job evaluation – to find that the average social care worker would take home £7,617[i] more per year if they delivered a role with comparable responsibilities in the NHS. With the present rate of pay estimated at just £10.93[ii] for a position that has been found to be highly skilled and accountable, social care careers are significantly uncompetitive compared to those in its partner sector, the NHS, and in easier commercial roles.

As the challenges of social care have become increasingly pervasive and apparent, Community Integrated Care commissioned YouGov to conduct exclusive polling to assess the views of political officials and the public[iii].

The report has found that 77% of MPs believe that the current rate of average pay for social care workers is unfair. More than nine in 10 polled MPs (92%) say social care pressures are important to their constituents, with eight in 10 MPs (80%) saying that the next Government should act to improve pay, terms and conditions for care workers. According to Community Integrated Care, this cross-party recognition of the challenges of social care pay and the impact of workforce issues in their communities creates fresh hope for a political solution to this long-standing crisis.

The report has found further significant support for the social care sector amongst the public. In polling of adults in England[iv], 87% of participants expressed that the shortage of care workers is an essential issue for society, with 95% saying that social care workers deliver an important role for society.

With more than half of the population – 53% of people – stating that they will have a more favourable view of political parties that address the issues of low pay (just only 2% would have a less favourable view), the report has argued that we are arriving at a moment where the public and politicians are increasingly aligned in the importance of addressing the challenges faced by care.

In response to the publication of the report, Teresa Exelby, Chief People and Corporate Services Officer at Community Integrated Care, said, 'At present, many social care providers are struggling to survive, so providing parity of pay is impossible without Government support. However, our evidence shows that this is one of the most socially, economically and morally positive investments that the Government can make. Investing in fair pay for social care workers will deliver the social care triple win – improving the lives of people who provide and draw on social care, providing more cost-effective and sustainable care and health services and supporting economic growth and productivity.

'I am privileged to work with thousands of people who live their dream of enabling others to live theirs. But against the joy is real despair too – people working tirelessly to still need the support of foodbanks, friends or family, finding that they are one ordinary life shock away from personal disaster. Access to stable care and support should be respected as a fundamental human right. Things must change, and the public is behind us. Excitingly, we can see that politicians from across the House are too.'

Phil Hope, former Minister of State for Social Care and Chair of the report's Launch event, said, 'This report’s polling reveals strong respect amongst the public for social care workers, a recognition of the importance of fair pay and a desire for political action on the issue. In parallel, there is strong Parliamentary consensus – driven by a recognition by MPs in all parties of the concerns of their constituents – that the next Government should act to improve terms and conditions.

'For too long, the challenges faced by people who work in social care have been left unresolved because of a supposed lack of political or public will. Unfair to Care highlights that there is both public and political impetus for change. There is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to now get this right. Parity of pay for care workers with their NHS equivalents is long overdue. The journey should start with an immediate rise.'

Click here to read the new report, Who Cares Wins: Unfair To Care 2024, in full.

In other news, the Care Workers' Charity (CWC) and the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) are joining forces again for Care Home Open Week 2024.

[i] NHS Agenda for Change Pay Scale for 2023/24 – Band 3 roles.

[ii] Figures used are average rates for Support Worker roles in England (outside London) and are taken from the National Care Forum’s national pay benchmarking exercise of the not-for-profit sector, October 2023.

[iii] Between 4th and 26th January 2024, YouGov completed online interviews with a representative sample of 107 MPs weighted by party, gender, electoral cohort, and geography, to give a sample that is representative of the House of Commons. This was augmented with additional interviews with 19 MSPs between 4th and 22nd January 2024.

[iv] All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 1,798 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th - 10th January 2024.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in England (aged 18+).