Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of local authority funding pressures on recruitment and retention in the adult social care workforce.

No specific assessment has been made on the potential impact of local authority funding pressures on recruitment and retention in the adult social care workforce.

English local authorities have a responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce.

The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. This includes £500 million to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028 to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.