Paying care workers properly could cost {pound}40bn but would lead to NHS savings, says strategy

Health analysts have welcomed commitments in a new 15 year workforce strategy for adult social care in England, including plans for pay reform and reducing reliance on overseas recruitment. But they said that the measures must be adequately funded and warned that the government has a “long road to travel” to solve chronic staffing shortages in the sector.A pledge to introduce a fair pay agreement in social care was made as part of the king’s speech on 17 July. A new analysis, by the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust, of shocking low pay in social care and its impact was published the following day.1 The think tanks said that the government had an opportunity to finally reform social care, improve worker pay, and leave a lasting legacy for the future. The government should start by tackling illegal underpayment of wages and urgently consulting the sector on a separate minimum…
Read Original Article: Paying care workers properly could cost {pound}40bn but would lead to NHS savings, says strategy »