It's time to #actforcare

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

2025 has started with a bang 💥. Most people are opening their laptops and catching up on emails for the first time this week. However, those working in the care sector haven’t taken Christmas or New Years off. Some have worked both Christmas AND New Year, some have work one or the other. There’s no ‘I’m away from 23rd December to 6th January’ out of office.

Yet care workers are some of the lowest paid staff in any sector. The median rate for care workers in 2024 was £11.00 this puts them in the bottom 20th percentile of all jobs. In other words, 80% of other jobs in the UK pay more. (Skills for Care)

And it’s about to get worse.

Whilst the National Living Wage can only be seen as a positive measure to support wage increases, there needs to be more funding to the sector to support those increases. National Insurance Contribution rises may on the face of it, support increased funds for other services. However, as reported by the OBR, workers would end up bearing the cost through lower real wages.

The Nuffield Trust estimate that the changes announced by the budge will cost independent sector social care employers around £940 million in 2025/26, on top of the £1.85 billion more that will be needed to meet new minimum wage rates from April 2025 also announced in the budget. Most providers are micro, small or medium sized organisations and are not propped up by private equity. Without central government support, local authorities will struggle to plug the gap.

In fact, the previous government has highlighted social care failure as a major risk in their 2023 Risk Register. They write:

“A complex major provider failure (MPF), characterised by the suddenness of the failure and the number of local authorities and individuals affected, could occur for a number of reasons, such as cost pressures... If unmitigated, it could harm continuity of care for people with care and support needs.”

In this risk register they rely on CQC kick starting the notification to local authorities (and presumably the government) of provider’s impending failure through their Market Oversight role. However in reality, providers will simply have no option but to stop taking packages, reduce services and potentially ‘shut up shop’.

Be the change

There are many steps that providers, people with lived experiences, carers and the general public can take to put a spotlight on the pending difficulties facing the sector this year. This includes contacting your local MP, informing your local authority, connecting with your local carers associations, care provider associations, connecting with the Care Workers Charity or disability rights organisations.

We'll be highlighting the challenges in our latest livestream next week so be sure to sign up and engage in the conversation: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/will-2025-see-the-end-of-social-care-tickets-1121734009619?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1%2A1a2663a%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_ga%2ANDQyNjg3NTI1LjE3MzYyMDIxMzM.%2A_ga_TQVES5V6SH%2AMTczNjIwMjEzMi4xLjAuMTczNjIwMjEzMi4wLjAuMA..

Providers Unite

An important movement has started which everyone can get on board with. Care providers are highlighting their concerns via #providersunite and organising action to support the sector. Their movement is exciting and growing in support. Sign up to their website here: https://www.providersunite.co.uk/ to be part of the action they are planning for this year.

It’s no longer enough to simply comment, write and speak about the impending escalation of difficulties faced by the sector. “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

2025 MUST be the year in which we #actforcare and not just watch it crash and burn.