Social care is not a burden, it is an economic driver - Gillian Smith
Andy Burnham’s recent commitment to reform adult social care is welcome and long overdue. For decades, social care has been recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing public services, yet meaningful reform has repeatedly been delayed.
The latest commitment to putting social care at the centre of national debate provides an opportunity to create lasting change for the people who rely upon services and the workforce that delivers them.
As chief executive officer of Care2care (Yorkshire), this conversation is not an abstract political debate. It is something we live every day.
From our base in Bradford, our teams support older people, people living with disabilities, individuals with dementia and those with complex needs to remain safe and independent within their own homes. Every day our carers support people to get out of bed, prepare meals, take medication, attend appointments, maintain relationships and continue living with dignity and choice.
We are proud to be a local employer, creating jobs within our communities, investing in staff development, and contributing to the local economy. Through Care2care and our workforce development initiatives, we are committed not only to supporting the people we care for but also to strengthen the social care workforce of the future.
Yet despite the vital role social care plays, it is too often viewed as a cost rather than an investment. Independent research commissioned by Skills for Care found that adult social care contributes approximately £60.2 billion to the English economy and supports around 1.6 million jobs when direct, indirect and wider economic impacts are considered. The same research found that every £1 invested generates approximately £2.40 in social and economic benefits.
Adult social care employs approximately 1.52 million people in England, making it one of the largest workforces in the country and larger than the NHS workforce cited within the same report.
These figures tell an important story. Social care is not simply a public service that consumes funding. It is a major employer, an economic contributor and a fundamental part of the infrastructure that allows communities to function.
One of the most damaging myths facing the sector is the suggestion that people work in care because they cannot do anything else. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The modern care worker is a highly skilled professional. Our staff undertake extensive training in safeguarding, medication administration, moving and handling, infection prevention and control, dementia care, mental capacity legislation, equality and diversity, first aid and a wide range of specialist subjects.
They complete regular competency assessments, supervisions and professional development programmes to ensure that the people they support receive safe, high-quality care.
Every day they are trusted with responsibilities that many people would find daunting. They identify safeguarding concerns, manage risks, administer medication, recognise deteriorating health conditions, and provide reassurance to people and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. They are not simply delivering care tasks.
They are protecting wellbeing, promoting independence, and preventing avoidable hospital admissions. The reality is that many care workers carry enormous responsibility while earning little more than the minimum wage. This is not because providers do not value their staff.
The majority of domiciliary care providers would like to pay significantly more. However, providers operate within financial constraints that are often poorly understood by the public. The hourly rate paid for care must cover wages, employer National Insurance contributions, pension contributions, holiday pay, sick pay, travel time, mileage, training, DBS checks, insurance, electronic care systems, quality assurance, management costs, out-of-hours support and regulatory compliance.
By the time all these costs are met, the amount remaining is often far smaller than many people imagine.
The result is a sector that struggles to compete with employers that can offer more predictable hours, higher rates of pay, and greater financial stability. This challenge is particularly acute in domiciliary care.
Unlike many jobs, domiciliary care involves travelling between multiple homes, working early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, and bank holidays. Care packages can change according to people’s needs, hospital admissions, and commissioning decisions. Staff can experience fluctuations in their working patterns that are uncommon in many other sectors.
As a result, many talented and compassionate people leave community care, not because they do not love the work, but because they need greater financial security for themselves and their families.
If we are serious about addressing recruitment and retention, we must acknowledge this reality. We need a social care workforce strategy that properly rewards skill, responsibility, and dedication.
We need funding that allows providers to invest in their people. And we need to recognise that improving social care is not simply about supporting providers. It is about supporting the millions of people who rely on care services and ensuring the NHS is not left carrying pressures that could be better managed within communities.
Prime Minister Burnham recently stated that care workers should be among the best-paid people in society and praised the professionalism and compassion he has witnessed within the care sector. Those comments will be welcomed by thousands of carers across the country who have long felt overlooked despite the contribution they make every day.
At Care2care (Yorkshire) Ltd, we support reform. But reform must involve listening to providers, frontline carers, people who draw upon care and their families.
The expertise needed to improve social care already exists within the sector. It exists in the homes of the people we support, in local provider organisations and in the experiences of care workers who deliver life-changing support every day.
Social care is not a burden on society. It is an economic driver. It is a major employer. It is a lifeline for thousands of families. It protects our NHS.
Most importantly, it enables people to live with dignity, independence and choice. The real question is not whether we can afford to invest in social care. It is whether we can afford not to.
Gillian Smith is CEO of Care2care (Yorkshire) Ltd