Standing up for social care workers in Parliament

At this week’s Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee I questioned the Minister of State for Care about the pay and conditions of the 1.54 million people working in adult social care - and about workforce planning and safe staffing levels.

The social care workforce is underpaid and undervalued. During the pandemic many continued to work and, at times putting their own lives on the line, in order to continue providing the care that our most vulnerable in society need. All of this, whist many staff were denied access to appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), regular testing, contractual sick pay and pay justice.

I raised with the Minister that, in a major survey by the Trade Union GMB, 75% of care workers said that their work during the Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious negative impact on their mental health – and that care workers report anxiety levels are almost half as high (44% per cent higher) than all employees in the wider economy.

I called on the Minister to ensure that all care workers have an entitlement to full contractual sick pay, and for national sectoral collective bargaining on all pay, terms and conditions of employment. The evidence from this session will form part of a report from the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on the long-term funding of adult social care.