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 adequacy of staffing levels within the adult social care workforce.

The adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows that in 2024/25, there were 1.60 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000, or 3.4%, from 2023/24.

In terms of staffing levels within individual providers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 18 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the Care Quality Commission finds a breach in this regulation, they can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The Government recognises the challenges with recruitment and retention in adult social care. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce. This won’t just improve pay for some of the lowest paid workers in our economy but will also drive critical improvements to recruitment and retention in the sector.

We are also investing up to £10 million this financial year to the Adult Social Care Learning and Development scheme launched in September 2024.