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 potential impact of workforce shortages on the delivery of social care services to older people.

The Department monitors workforce levels in the adult social care sector in England at a national and local level. As part of this monitoring, the Department considers Skills for Care estimates on the number of filled posts in residential and domiciliary care. The adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows in 2024/25 there were 1.60 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000 (3.4%) from 2023/24. This was the second largest increase seen since Skills for Care records began in 2012/13.

Local authorities in England have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

We recognise the scale of reform needed to make adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications. These changes will help attract staff to the sector, providing proper recognition and opportunities for them to build their careers.