New Skills for Care report identifies factors linked to better retention of care workers and higher quality of care
Skills for Care’s newly-published ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report has identified the combination of employment and development factors most strongly associated with retaining care workers.
The report found turnover rates of care workers fall from 34.3% to 15.3% when employers combine competitive pay, guaranteed hours, training, qualifications and full-time employment opportunities.
The annual report from the national charity that works to build a stronger adult social care workforce covers the year to March 2026, and reveals that the adult social care workforce in England has grown for the fourth successive year - with a fall in vacancies to their lowest level in a decade.
Findings from the report also highlight a strong link between workforce investment and quality of care. Better workforce conditions, including higher staffing ratios and pay, increased training opportunities, greater uptake of the Care Certificate standards and lower vacancy rates, are all associated with stronger Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings.
The report also demonstrates the importance of retaining experienced registered managers. Care worker turnover falls from 28.3% to 20.6% as registered manager experience increases, underlining the value of investing in leadership development and supporting managers to build long-term careers in the sector.
Together, the findings suggest that investing in the workforce helps providers both retain skilled staff and deliver higher-quality care. The strongest outcomes are achieved when employers combine good employment practices, development opportunities and effective leadership, creating workplaces where people feel valued, supported and able to develop their careers.
The report also paints a mixed picture of the wider workforce. While the headline numbers suggest the adult social care workforce is relatively stable, growth is occurring at its slowest rate in four years, with the number of filled posts growing by 1.4% compared to a peak growth of 4.9% between 2022/23 and 2023/24. At the same time, there are fewer British workers in the sector and international recruitment has reduced significantly, presenting ongoing challenges for employers.
The findings also highlight opportunities to strengthen the future workforce. Young people remain underrepresented in adult social care, making up just 7% of the workforce compared with 12% of England's economically active population. Turnover among workers under the age of 25 is 35.5%, the highest of any age group. As workforce growth slows and international recruitment declines, attracting younger workers becomes increasingly important to future workforce supply.
Statistics included in the report for the first time this year demonstrate the important role social care plays within the wider health and care system. Delegated healthcare activities - activities that a regulated healthcare professional delegates to a colleague in a non-regulated job role – are a significant part of care delivery. Non-nursing staff carry out delegated healthcare activities in 59% of responding CQC-regulated services and an estimated 46% of direct care workers undertake these activities.
The findings highlight the increasingly important contribution social care makes to health and care delivery and reinforce the importance of including social care in neighbourhood health models, clinical capacity planning, workforce planning and funding decisions.
Workforce development continues to be a priority for the sector. The report found that the Care Workforce Pathway is already being used by 26% of responding employers, primarily to identify skills gaps and development opportunities. The Pathway – which launched in 2024 - provides a clear framework for career progression, helping people understand how they can build and develop long-term careers in adult social care while supporting employers to nurture talent and retain skilled staff.
However, the report also highlights continued challenges around qualifications. Just 37% of care workers and support workers hold a qualification at level 2 or above, down from 48% in 2018/19, reinforcing the importance of continued investment in learning and development.
The findings also reveal examples of employers going beyond statutory employment requirements to support their workforce. One in four independent sector employers contribute more than the minimum 3% to care workers' pensions, while one in four pay care workers more than Statutory Sick Pay.
Professor Oonagh Smyth CBE, Chief Executive at Skills for Care, said:
This feels like a defining moment for adult social care. The Prime Minister has set out an ambition to build a National Care Service, free at the point of use, with greater recognition for care workers and a stronger relationship with the NHS. That ambition reflects the fact that there can be no sustainable reform of care without a sustainable, skilled and valued workforce.
It's positive to see that the adult social care workforce is becoming more stable. This year's report shows that employers who invest in their workforce through good employment practices, development opportunities and strong leadership are more likely to retain staff and deliver high-quality care.
The report also shows the increasingly important role social care plays in supporting health and care delivery, with many care workers now undertaking delegated healthcare activities as part of their role.
However, workforce growth is slowing, and we must continue to attract more people into adult social care to meet future demand. In particular, we need to do more to attract younger people and men into the sector, as set out in the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England. Continued investment in workforce development, leadership and career pathways, including scaling up the Care Workforce Pathway, will be essential if we are to build the sustainable workforce needed to deliver high-quality care in the years ahead.
Read the full report: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/stateof
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