The King's Fund responds to the Skills for Care report

Commenting on the Skills for Care report The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, said:

‘The latest Skills for Care workforce report reveals a fundamental weakness of the social care system in England – its inability to recruit enough British staff.

‘The fall in the vacancy rate outlined in today’s report is entirely thanks to overseas staff taking up social care roles – the number of British staff in fact fell by 30,000 in 2024/25, and by 85,000 since 2021/22.

‘Pay is a critical factor in attracting people so it is welcome that the government plans a fair pay agreement for the sector. This should boost domestic recruitment. However, social care providers remain in the dark about the amount of money that has been allocated to fund it – the figure was not included in the recent spending review. The government should make this public as soon as possible so that the sector can understand how much of an impact it is likely to have.  

‘The fair pay agreement will in any case require negotiation between providers and unions and will not be in force until at least 2027. With the fall-off in overseas recruitment inevitable because of changes to visa regulations, there is a risk that vacancies will begin to climb once again before better pay arrives. Given these workforce issues and the thousands of people who go without vital social care and support, there is a real need for a government-led recruitment plan, including action to recruit and retain younger workers.’

Notes to editors

For further information, please contact The King's Fund media team on 020 7307 2585 or [email protected].

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve people's health. Our vision is a world where everyone can live a healthy life. Our mission is to inspire hope and build confidence for positive change. We achieve this through expert insights and original research, developing leaders and their organisations, convening, and strategic, collaborative partnerships.