Nuffield Trust response to announcement of £500m for care worker pay

Responding to the Secretary of State’s announcement on pay for social care workers, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Research Natasha Curry said:

“Care workers have been poorly paid and undervalued for too long, with many not even paid the bare minimum needed to travel and to provide support for the hundreds of thousands of people in need of care.

“So it’s absolutely right that the Secretary of State is highlighting this today and the government’s fair pay agreement offers recognition that action is needed to improve pay and conditions of care workers.

“The bear trap in today’s announcement is – as is so often the case – the money. This extra £500 million, already announced at June’s Spending review, is not new, will not arrive until 2028, and will need to come from funds already needed to keep social care afloat and meet the needs of the people that rely on it.

“The spending pressures on social care cannot be overstated: the extra needed this year for additional employers national insurance contributions more than wipes out this £500 million. The agreement will also rest on extensive negotiations through the new negotiating body – which will now have to be constrained by this figure.

“As always, good intentions and sound motives cannot balance the books. The fair pay agreement is the right thing to be doing but it won’t work unless properly funded.”