Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Adult Social Care

Tuesday 23 January 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Clive Efford asked about steps to increase staff recruitment and retention in adult social care, citing issues like job insecurity and low pay.
  • The Minister responded with shock at the language used by Clive Efford and stated there is a 10-year plan for social care that is working, with the workforce growing.
  • Andrew Gwynne highlighted statistics on social care providers' reliance on agency staff and closures, advocating for fair pay agreements to treat staff with dignity and respect.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Social Care Employment
Context

The question addresses the chronic shortage of care workers in adult social care, citing poor working conditions and low pay as major factors. The MP highlights that one in five care workers lives in poverty.

Question

What steps she is taking to increase staff recruitment and retention in the adult social care sector where job insecurity, poor working conditions and low pay are cited as reasons for a recruitment and retention crisis.

Answer from Helen Whately

Care is a skilled profession, and I want care workers to get the support and recognition they deserve. This month, we took the next step in our ambitious care workforce reforms, publishing the first ever national career structure for the care workforce alongside our new nationally recognised care qualification.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer avoids addressing specific steps to improve working conditions and pay issues directly mentioned by the questioner.

How: We Are Committed

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Q2 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Care & Healthcare Workers NHS Social Care
Context

The question criticises the government's approach to social care over the past 14 years, highlighting issues such as job insecurity, poor working conditions, low pay, and a high percentage of care workers living in poverty.

Question

Ambitious care workforce reforms—it is all blah, isn't it? We have had 14 years of Conservative Government, and we have a crisis in every area of the NHS. Job insecurity, poor working conditions and low pay—one in five care workers is living in poverty—are all reasons why we have a recruitment and retention crisis in social care.

Answer from Helen Whately

I am actually really shocked by the way the hon. Member referred to the care workforce, with terms like “It is all blah”—very shocking. I am determined that care workers should get the recognition they deserve. We have a 10-year plan for social care, and it is working: the care workforce grew by over 20,000 last year, vacancies in social care are down, and retention is up.

Not addressed: The answer criticises the questioner's language rather than addressing the substantive issues raised.

How: Shocking

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Q3 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Social Care
Context

The question addresses the situation where many social care providers have increased their reliance on agency staff, turned down new admissions, or had to close services. It cites Labour's fair pay agreements as a potential solution.

Question

According to Care England and Hft, 54% of social care providers have increased their reliance on agency staff; 44% have turned down new admissions; and 18% have had to close services altogether. Labour's fair pay agreements will ensure that staff in the sector are treated with the dignity and respect that will make them want to stay, but after 14 years, why do Ministers not have a proper plan to address the workforce crisis facing adult social care?

Answer from Helen Whately

We have a plan for the social care workforce, and it is working. The social care workforce increased by over 20,000 last year, and it is still going up. But I will take no lectures from the hon. Member. In fact, his hon. Friend the Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth), early this morning on television, made it clear that Labour does not have a plan for social care—or if it does, it is clear that it will cost a lot of money and is yet another unfunded Labour plan.

Not addressed: The answer criticises the opposition rather than addressing the substantive issues raised by the questioner.

How: Take No Lectures

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