Social care recruitment to benefit from £500m government funding

People working in adult social care in England will benefit from at least £500m from the Health and Social Care Levy to improve recruitment, retention, progression, and staff wellbeing.

In total the Levy will generate a record £36bn over the next three years which will be invested in the health and social care system to ensure it has the long-term resource it needs while working to reduce patient waiting times and speed up diagnoses, including to clear the Covid backlog in the NHS.

£500m from the £5.4bn dedicated to adult social care from the Levy, which comes into force on Wednesday April 6, forms a package of support for the social care workforce as part of the adult social care reform White Paper, People at the Heart of Care.

The funding will attract new staff into the sector and support those already in it by providing significant investment in individual learning and development and supporting staff mental health and wellbeing.

Minister of state for care and mental health Gillian Keegan said: “I am incredibly proud of all the social care staff who have worked so hard, particularly during the pandemic.

“As we recover from Covid, we must look to the future and to reform - this £500m package of support will boost workforce recruitment, allow staff to progress in their careers in the sector and very importantly, ensure staff wellbeing is better supported.

“The type of genuinely transformational change cannot be accomplished overnight. We know staff will need continued support, but we hope this package will level up opportunities for current and future social care staff.”