“The social care workforce is under considerable pressure and one of the biggest challenges and priorities for councils is ensuring we have a workforce fit for both the here and now and the future."
Commenting on the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s Workforce report which said that an extra 490,000 jobs in social care will be needed by the early part of the next decade, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board said:
“The social care workforce is under considerable pressure and one of the biggest challenges and priorities for councils is ensuring we have a workforce fit for both the here and now and the future.
“The future requirements of and for the social care workforce should be a far more prominent consideration for Government, both as a standalone priority and in respect of its links with NHS workforce planning. As this report makes clear, there is still a long way to go.
“It is vital that we are able to match the skills and ambitions of our future workforce with the aspirations of people who draw on care and support.
“Urgent action is also needed to address the current recruitment and retention crisis in social care, including on pay, conditions, skills and training.”