Skills for Care responds to CQC State of Care 2020/21 report

CQC, the regulator for care and health services, have rightly focused this year’s State of Care report on the challenges facing social care, including the unprecedented pressures on our workforce. This is also reflected in the findings of our recent annual ‘State of the adult social care sector workforce in England’. CQC’s annual assessment will help us focus on how we properly recognise and reward the effort of our 1.5 million strong workforce who it acknowledges will need support after their sacrifices during the pandemic. We particularly welcome CQC’s recognition of the interdependency of health and care services, and their call for greater collaboration across services utilising the skills of a stable social care workforce. As social care goes through a period of reform, we must use this evidence to ensure any changes value our workforce, and the difference they make to the lives of people.