Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to develop a (a) comprehensive and (b) fully-funded plan to effectively (i) recruit, (ii) train, and (iii) retain a sustainable social care workforce.

We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. We expect that the commission will look at workforce issues, building on work already underway to provide a career structure, give care professionals greater skills and legislate for the first ever Fair Pay Agreements.