Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Age UK briefing entitled Health and Care of Older People in England 2019, published July 2019, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the 100,000 vacancies in the social care workforce in England.

The Government recognises that adult social care employers can struggle to recruit and retain the right number of staff, with the right values and skills, and that vacancy and turnover rates across the sector are high. We are working alongside stakeholders in adult social care to support a growing workforce, with the values and skills to deliver high quality, compassionate care.

The Department has invested £7 million over the past two years in a national recruitment campaign designed to raise the profile of adult social care, encourage potential applicants to apply for job vacancies, and highlight opportunities for career development and progression. Through our continued funding of Skills for Care we have also provided a range of resources and practical toolkits for providers to help attract, train and retain staff.