Care England, the largest representative body of independent adult social care providers, has appealed for the Government to implement a comprehensive strategy for rewarding the adult social care workforce.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“The Prime Minister and others in the Government have frequently paid tribute to care workers, who have been at the front line of the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this week, we wrote to the Secretary of State to urge him to engage with the important issue of rewarding the adult social care workforce. This is interlinked with the need for the Government to fund the recent increases in the National Living Wage.”

This follows the Scottish Government’s recent announcement a one-off payment of £500 for Scotland’s health and care staff. Whilst the Welsh Government previously pledged to pay care workers in July. In its letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Care England outlined that it was both willing and able to work with the Government to craft such solutions in the coming weeks and months.

Martin Green continues:

“The need to reward social care workers is accentuated when we consider the Chancellor’s recent pledge to increase the pay of NHS nurses. A failure to reward the adult social care workforce will only further the perception that social care is the poor relation of the NHS. Whilst any such strategy should reward both care and auxiliary staff alike as both are fundamental to care services.”