Simon Bottery
@blimeysimon.bsky.social
#Socialcare guy at The King's Fund. Early riser. Available in stereo on Twitter/X.
Interesting to see in print the government's three 'core objectives' for adult #socialcare. They are sensible and coherent, even if they do skip over the key issue of eligibility. A surprise, though, to see them at all after a year when social care strategy was largely avoided.
July 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Interesting to see in print the government's three 'core objectives' for adult #socialcare. They are sensible and coherent, even if they do skip over the key issue of eligibility. A surprise, though, to see them at all after a year when social care strategy was largely avoided.
There are also big differences by age. Older people are more supportive of the move than younger people (57% of 65+s support the move compared to 29% of 18-24 year olds).
May 13, 2025 at 7:12 AM
There are also big differences by age. Older people are more supportive of the move than younger people (57% of 65+s support the move compared to 29% of 18-24 year olds).
In politics, there is a clear split between Reform/Conservative voters and Labour/LibDems. 75% of @reformparty_uk voters support the move and 63% of Cons, but only 39% of Labour voters and 38% of LibDems. Even so, nearly as many LibDem, Labour voters support the move as oppose it
May 13, 2025 at 7:12 AM
In politics, there is a clear split between Reform/Conservative voters and Labour/LibDems. 75% of @reformparty_uk voters support the move and 63% of Cons, but only 39% of Labour voters and 38% of LibDems. Even so, nearly as many LibDem, Labour voters support the move as oppose it
Care providers may struggle to win over the public on new immigration rules, suggests this large @YouGov poll. Nearly half (47%) support the govt reducing the no. of people migrating to work in #socialcare while a third (33%) oppose it. Big differences by politics/age though… 🔽
May 13, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Care providers may struggle to win over the public on new immigration rules, suggests this large @YouGov poll. Nearly half (47%) support the govt reducing the no. of people migrating to work in #socialcare while a third (33%) oppose it. Big differences by politics/age though… 🔽
…that there is time to act because #socialcare vacancies are currently quite low. But that’s only true compared to the crisis of 2021/22. Vacancies remain far higher than in other sectors. So the situation remains precarious. All that said…
May 12, 2025 at 6:16 AM
…that there is time to act because #socialcare vacancies are currently quite low. But that’s only true compared to the crisis of 2021/22. Vacancies remain far higher than in other sectors. So the situation remains precarious. All that said…
Pay is also a factor in retention but interesting to see it is less of a factor for providers who are part of larger ‘brands’ - only a quarter cite it pay as an issue compared to a third of ‘non-brands’. (Less clear how this helps though - the latter make up most of #socialcare).
April 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Pay is also a factor in retention but interesting to see it is less of a factor for providers who are part of larger ‘brands’ - only a quarter cite it pay as an issue compared to a third of ‘non-brands’. (Less clear how this helps though - the latter make up most of #socialcare).
How can things be improved? The survey suggests - inevitably - that pay is a major factor. The good news here is the govt’s potential fair pay agreement in #socialcare. The bad news is the continuing uncertainty over its scope and - crucially - whether it will be fully funded.
April 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
How can things be improved? The survey suggests - inevitably - that pay is a major factor. The good news here is the govt’s potential fair pay agreement in #socialcare. The bad news is the continuing uncertainty over its scope and - crucially - whether it will be fully funded.
That’s consistent with @skillsforcare monthly tracking data which shows that vacancies in autumn last year had fallen compared with the previous year.
April 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
That’s consistent with @skillsforcare monthly tracking data which shows that vacancies in autumn last year had fallen compared with the previous year.
There are some positives in the new @DHSCgovuk survey on the #socialcare workforce, conducted in autumn 2024. While 71% of providers found recruitment a challenge, most thought it hadn’t deteriorated and 1 in 5 thought it had improved, as had retention and morale.
April 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
There are some positives in the new @DHSCgovuk survey on the #socialcare workforce, conducted in autumn 2024. While 71% of providers found recruitment a challenge, most thought it hadn’t deteriorated and 1 in 5 thought it had improved, as had retention and morale.
Went to the Freud Museum yesterday and discovered that the post box outside the house has been covered with visitor stickers, presumably through the process of transference.
April 13, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Went to the Freud Museum yesterday and discovered that the post box outside the house has been covered with visitor stickers, presumably through the process of transference.
The over-enthusiasm of this headline (the story is about nothing more dramatic than a new qualification for care workers) came on the same day as a report by @TunstallHealth said preventative technology is hamstrung by failure to integrate health and #socialcare budgets. 1/4
April 9, 2025 at 8:04 AM
The over-enthusiasm of this headline (the story is about nothing more dramatic than a new qualification for care workers) came on the same day as a report by @TunstallHealth said preventative technology is hamstrung by failure to integrate health and #socialcare budgets. 1/4
Dissatisfaction with #socialcare doesn’t vary much by population group, except ethnicity and income. Higher income groups (60%) are more dissatisfied than lower income groups (47/48%) - perhaps unsurprising since the means test excludes many on higher incomes from public support.
April 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Dissatisfaction with #socialcare doesn’t vary much by population group, except ethnicity and income. Higher income groups (60%) are more dissatisfied than lower income groups (47/48%) - perhaps unsurprising since the means test excludes many on higher incomes from public support.
Satisfaction with #socialcare is also lower than for individual NHS services, where the lowest satisfaction levels are for A&E (19%) and dentistry (20%). Satisfaction with general practice (31%) and inpatients/outpatients (32%) is higher.
April 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Satisfaction with #socialcare is also lower than for individual NHS services, where the lowest satisfaction levels are for A&E (19%) and dentistry (20%). Satisfaction with general practice (31%) and inpatients/outpatients (32%) is higher.
The 13% #socialcare satisfaction figure is lower than for the NHS (though that is falling rapidly to meet it. Only 21% say they are satisfied with the NHS - a remarkable decline of 39 percentage points since 2019).
April 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
The 13% #socialcare satisfaction figure is lower than for the NHS (though that is falling rapidly to meet it. Only 21% say they are satisfied with the NHS - a remarkable decline of 39 percentage points since 2019).
Public satisfaction with adult #socialcare remains at an all-time low, with just 13% of people saying they are very or quite satisfied, according to the new British Social Attitudes survey. But we’re still at least 2.5 years away from promise of reform. Short thread ⬇️
April 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Public satisfaction with adult #socialcare remains at an all-time low, with just 13% of people saying they are very or quite satisfied, according to the new British Social Attitudes survey. But we’re still at least 2.5 years away from promise of reform. Short thread ⬇️
The FPA is a huge - but untested - intervention. Its success will be critical. While vacancies have been holding steady, they remain 3x that of the wider economy. And rule changes (and politics) mean the sector can’t rely on international recruitment in the way it has.
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
The FPA is a huge - but untested - intervention. Its success will be critical. While vacancies have been holding steady, they remain 3x that of the wider economy. And rule changes (and politics) mean the sector can’t rely on international recruitment in the way it has.
The same is true of staff with more experience compared to new starters. In December 2024 staff with 5 years experience were being paid just 4p more than the new joiners. Again, that is the lowest gap ever recorded.
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
The same is true of staff with more experience compared to new starters. In December 2024 staff with 5 years experience were being paid just 4p more than the new joiners. Again, that is the lowest gap ever recorded.
When careworker pay goes up, pay of these other staff should go up to maintain differentials. But, as a new @skillsforcare report shows, if money is tight, it doesn’t. So in December last year the pay gap between careworkers and seniors had fallen from 8% to 6% - the lowest ever.
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
When careworker pay goes up, pay of these other staff should go up to maintain differentials. But, as a new @skillsforcare report shows, if money is tight, it doesn’t. So in December last year the pay gap between careworkers and seniors had fallen from 8% to 6% - the lowest ever.
Because pay is so low, on April 1st most care workers will get an increase to at least £12.21. But their pay increase also has implications for the 34% of careworkers (and 42% of all socialcare staff) who are already paid above this new statutory minimum.
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Because pay is so low, on April 1st most care workers will get an increase to at least £12.21. But their pay increase also has implications for the 34% of careworkers (and 42% of all socialcare staff) who are already paid above this new statutory minimum.
Pay in #socialcare is low. Careworker pay hovers around that of retail, cleaning and kitchen staff - just 4p/hour more than sales assistants, 3p more than cleaners and 36p more than kitchen assistants. And it is 8p less than NHS HCAs new to role.
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Pay in #socialcare is low. Careworker pay hovers around that of retail, cleaning and kitchen staff - just 4p/hour more than sales assistants, 3p more than cleaners and 36p more than kitchen assistants. And it is 8p less than NHS HCAs new to role.
Tomorrow, 780,000 #socialcare staff will get a pay rise to bring them up to the new level of the minimum wage. That’s great news for them but also a marker of how poorly paid they were before. And it masks other pay-related issues showing the weakness of the sector. Thread ⬇️
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Tomorrow, 780,000 #socialcare staff will get a pay rise to bring them up to the new level of the minimum wage. That’s great news for them but also a marker of how poorly paid they were before. And it masks other pay-related issues showing the weakness of the sector. Thread ⬇️
SPENDING. All this explains why local authority spending on #socialcare has gone up by £6.2bn in real terms since 2015/16, despite that fall in people getting long-term care. They have had to meet the extra costs of providers.
March 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
SPENDING. All this explains why local authority spending on #socialcare has gone up by £6.2bn in real terms since 2015/16, despite that fall in people getting long-term care. They have had to meet the extra costs of providers.
(A quick aside on DEMAND. In case you were wondering, support didn’t fall because of lack of demand. With the exception of a blip during COVID-19, more people have been approaching local authorities for support every year.)
March 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
(A quick aside on DEMAND. In case you were wondering, support didn’t fall because of lack of demand. With the exception of a blip during COVID-19, more people have been approaching local authorities for support every year.)
That only started to change in 2022/23 and particularly 2023/24 when the govt gave councils extra money (funded by cancelling the ‘cap’ on lifetime care costs). More people received support, though in 2023/24 14,000 fewer people were still receiving long term care than in 2015/16
March 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
That only started to change in 2022/23 and particularly 2023/24 when the govt gave councils extra money (funded by cancelling the ‘cap’ on lifetime care costs). More people received support, though in 2023/24 14,000 fewer people were still receiving long term care than in 2015/16
FEES. Providers have in turn negotiated increased fees from local authorities. Since 2015/16, the average fee paid by councils for older people’s care homes has gone up 33% in real terms, working age adults homes by 13% and homecare by 18%…
March 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
FEES. Providers have in turn negotiated increased fees from local authorities. Since 2015/16, the average fee paid by councils for older people’s care homes has gone up 33% in real terms, working age adults homes by 13% and homecare by 18%…