The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not-for-profit social care and support organisations has responded to this morning’s government announcement of £600 million of ringfenced funding to be distributed to local authorities over the next two years to support the social care workforce and boost capacity in social care.
The government today announced £600 million over the next two years to support the capacity of the social care workforce and funding for the social care sector.
The £600 million includes:
- £570 million workforce funding over two years, distributed to local authorities
- £30 million funding for local authorities in the most challenged health systems
The money is spread over two years and is going to local authorities to help to improve recruitment and retention, boost workforce capacity and ensure a sustainable social care workforce fit for the future.
There is also a £10 million per year programme which will enhance research into adult social care and inform future social care policies. The National Institute for Health and Care Research has launched the Research Programme for Social Care which will collect information on the people at the heart of care, providing government and the sector with clear paths on how they can improve, expand and strengthen social care for people in need of care, carers, the social care workforce and the public.
Liz Jones, Policy Director at NCF said:
“We welcome the announcement of this ringfenced funding to local authorities intended to support the social care workforce. Hopefully, the clear grant conditions will ensure that it gets passed on to providers to enable them to reward their staff better, well in advance of winter pressures.
“It’s good to see that ministers have responded to the calls from the NCF and the Nuffield Trust for dedicated funds to support our workforce and to the recommendations in the long read published earlier this week which we collaborated with the Nuffield Trust to produce. One of our main asks in that long read is that funding to support winter pressures is not allocated in an emergency, short term and chaotic way and is instead provided on a timely basis to local authorities with controls and measures in place to ensure it is used in the right way.
“We hope that our local authority colleagues will use this injection of funding to pay providers properly for the care and support they provide and ensure that we are able to better reward our social care workforce properly. It is essential that our fantastic workforce feel the benefit of this extra cash and we hope that the result will be an easier winter for both those delivering care and support and those receiving it.
“And, of course, a long term social care workforce plan, to sit alongside the NHS long term workforce plan, is still the key to ensuring a sustainable social care workforce for the years to come.”
She concluded: “The £10 million for social care research is a welcome step – it is essential that the NHIR use this funding to produce research with the sector, for the sector, by the sector and works with us to shape the research it can deliver to make sure it really does benefit those drawing on care and support and those working so hard to deliver it.”
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