Leading voices in the care sector have responded to the government’s announcement of £500m funding to establish a Fair Pay Agreement for care workers.
Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England, said: “While the creation of a Fair Pay Agreement represents a long-awaited acknowledgement that care work is a skilled profession deserving of fair reward, today’s announcement does little to deliver any meaningful change for our workforce. It is a shame that after so many promises, the outcome amounts to as little as 15 pence per hour if focused solely on pay; something that will make little difference in practice by the people who keep this sector running.
“We recognise this is a journey and that multiple agreements will follow, but the scale of today’s commitment is simply not enough to tackle the immediate challenges to recruit and retain staff that lie in front of us. If the government truly wants to value the care workforce, it must dig deeper. This announcement may mark a step forward, but without meaningful investment in the years ahead, the sector will continue to see staff leaving at a time when they are needed most.”
NCF CEO Vic Rayner commented: “After months of speculation, the government has put on the table the public funding they are making available to back their flagship Fair Pay Agreement. This announcement triggers the launch of a consultation period on key areas, including who is included in an agreement, what it covers in relation to pay, terms and conditions, how the negotiations will operate in practice, and enforcement.
“As part of the Care Provider Alliance, we have been clear all along that it is not possible for a Fair Pay Agreement to deliver without properly addressing issues associated with how care is commissioned, long term sustainable funding commitments, a properly resourced negotiating infrastructure, and a shared understanding of the data needed to inform negotiations.”
Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: “The care workforce plays a fundamental and valued role in supporting people who draw on social care to live the independent lives they want to lead, and action is needed to tackle long-standing serious recruitment and retention challenges.
“Pay is crucial to this, and we support the ambition to deliver a Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) for care workers. However, councils will be seriously concerned that this is not matched by a commitment from central government to fully fund the output of the negotiations.
“The success of the FPA depends on its costs being fully funded. Such a commitment is critical to the policy’s success and to ensure it makes a meaningful difference to those accessing social care and those delivering it.
"The LGA has long called for investment in care workers’ pay but without full funding from central government, neither councils nor providers will be able to absorb the level of likely costs involved. If costs do fall on the sector, they will compound existing pressures and the consequences of those pressures for people drawing on care and those providing it.
“Councils want to work with government to find a sustainable and reasonable solution, and this must involve local government playing a critical role in the design and enforcement of Fair Pay Agreements. Building a strong and thriving care workforce shouldn’t be seen only as a cost; it should be seen as an investment given its wider value to the economy.”
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