House of Commons · General Debate
26 April 2023 · 1 other contributor
Opened by Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Helen Morgan raised concerns about carers and care workers in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.
Key points
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Proposes a Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish and implement a Care Workers Employment Strategy, with the aim of improving recruitment and retention of care workers; establish an independent National Care Workers Council for professional standards, qualifications, and accreditation; commission an independent assessment of support available to unpaid carers including financial support and employment rights.
Stresses the importance of care workers in society, highlighting a shortage of 165,000 vacancies with a vacancy rate rising from 7% to 10.7% between 2021 and 2022. Proposes increasing the minimum wage by £2 for care workers to tackle staffing shortages. Recommends an independent national care workers council to establish professional standards and qualifications. Emphasises the need for better recognition of unpaid carers who contribute nearly £193 billion annually to the economy.