Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional social care workers that will be required by 2030; and what steps he is taking to ensure that need is met.

Skills for Care publishes projections of the adult social care workforce and forecasts the number of adult social care jobs could increase by 31% (500,000 jobs) to around two million jobs by 2030.

The Department is aware that our challenge, working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector, is to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands, with the right skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver quality, compassionate care.

That is why we consulted the sector on the draft Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy. The results of the consultation will inform both the final strategy and the Green Paper on care and support for older people, both due later this year.