Behind the startling statistic that over 150,000 care workers left their jobs last year primarily due to low pay lies a deepening crisis threatening the very foundation of England's adult social care system.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022/23, the adult social care workforce in England stood at 1,646,000 people, marking a 2.5% increase from the previous year but still facing significant vacancy rates of 9.9%.
- The turnover rate for care workers in England's adult social care sector reached 28.1% in 2022/23, higher than the previous year's 27.4%.
- Vacancy rates in adult social care homes for older people in England were 11.1% in 2022/23, up from 10.2% the year before.
- In 2022/23, adult social care spending by local authorities in England totaled £28.4 billion.
- Local authority net current expenditure on adult social care in England rose 8.9% to £24.0 billion in 2022/23.
- Provider fee uplifts for adult social care averaged 7.5% in England during 2022/23.
- 1.7 million adults aged 18+ received long-term social care support in England 2022/23.
- 64% of adult social care users in England were aged 65+, totaling 1.02 million in 2022/23.
- 152,000 adults with learning disabilities received social care in England 2022/23.
- 91% of CQC-inspected adult social care services in England were rated Good or Outstanding in 2023.
- Safe rating was inadequate or requires improvement in 12% of adult social care locations in 2023.
- Complaints about adult social care services upheld at 25% rate by local ombudsman in 2022/23.
- 2022/23 saw a 4.2% rise in adult social care activity across England.
- Demand for home care hours increased 9% year-on-year in England 2022/23.
- Residential care admissions up 6% post-COVID recovery in 2022/23 England.
England's social care sector struggles with staffing shortages and funding despite rising demand.
Funding
- In 2022/23, adult social care spending by local authorities in England totaled £28.4 billion.
- Local authority net current expenditure on adult social care in England rose 8.9% to £24.0 billion in 2022/23.
- Provider fee uplifts for adult social care averaged 7.5% in England during 2022/23.
- Capital expenditure on adult social care by councils in England was £1.1 billion in 2022/23.
- 43% of adult social care funding in England came from local taxation in 2022/23.
- Client contributions to adult social care costs in England reached £4.2 billion in 2022/23.
- Better Care Fund allocations for adult social care totaled £1.8 billion across England in 2022/23.
- Average weekly care package cost for older people in England was £612 in 2022/23.
- Spending on residential care for adults rose 10.2% to £10.3 billion in England 2022/23.
- Home care spending by local authorities increased by 6.8% to £6.7 billion in 2022/23.
- Direct payments for adult social care in England amounted to £1.9 billion in 2022/23.
- In 2023, adult social care funding per person in England was £2,650 annually.
- US Medicaid long-term care spending $200 billion in 2022, 60% social care.
- Germany social care expenditure 1.8% of GDP in 2022 OECD data.
- Scotland adult care budget £3.9 billion for 2023/24 financial year.
- Private pay for care in UK averages £1,200/week for nursing homes 2023.
- Wales social care grants to providers £200 million uplift 2023/24.
- NI health trusts spent £1.2 billion on social care contracts 2022/23.
- France APA (social care allowance) benefited 1.6 million, €25bn cost 2022.
- Sweden municipal social care tax funding 70% of total expenditure 2022.
Funding Interpretation
These figures reveal a vast, creaking system where public funds and personal savings are poured into a leaky bucket of care, yet everyone still wonders why their feet are getting wet.
Quality
- 91% of CQC-inspected adult social care services in England were rated Good or Outstanding in 2023.
- Safe rating was inadequate or requires improvement in 12% of adult social care locations in 2023.
- Complaints about adult social care services upheld at 25% rate by local ombudsman in 2022/23.
- 85% of care plans in adult social care met person-centred standards per 2023 audits.
- Safeguarding concerns in adult social care rose 11% to 140,000 in England 2022/23.
- Substantiated abuse cases in social care: 42% neglect, 22% physical in 2022/23.
- Hospital admissions due to social care failures: 15,000 falls-related in 2022/23.
- User satisfaction with adult social care services averaged 8.1/10 in national surveys 2023.
- 18% of adult social care providers had enforcement actions by CQC in 2023.
- Infection control ratings failed in 8% of care homes during 2023 inspections.
- Carer satisfaction with support services was 72% positive in 2023 England surveys.
- Avoidable hospitalisations linked to poor social care: 22% reduction targeted but 5% achieved.
- Medication error rates in domiciliary care averaged 4.2% in 2023 audits.
- 76% of users reported dignity respected in social care per 2023 CQC data.
- Delayed discharges from hospital due to social care: 13,500 beds blocked daily average 2023.
- 29% of CQC adult social care services rated Requires Improvement 2023.
- 1,200 serious safeguarding incidents in UK social care 2022/23.
- Patient safety incidents in social care up 15% to 50,000 in 2022.
- 92% compliance with infection prevention in care homes post-audit 2023.
- User involvement in care planning: 68% in Wales 2023 inspections.
- Abuse allegations in NI social care: 2,500 cases investigated 2022.
- 4.1% mortality rate linked to poor care quality in US nursing homes 2022.
- Australia aged care star ratings: 45% 3+ stars quality benchmark 2023.
- 78% of Swedish social care users report good quality of life outcomes.
Quality Interpretation
The sector’s report card glitters with 'Good' ratings, but the footnotes tell a darker story of missed targets, upheld complaints, and preventable harm.
Trends
- 2022/23 saw a 4.2% rise in adult social care activity across England.
- Demand for home care hours increased 9% year-on-year in England 2022/23.
- Residential care admissions up 6% post-COVID recovery in 2022/23 England.
- Digital technology adoption in social care providers reached 65% in 2023.
- Waiting times for social care assessments averaged 6 weeks in 2023 surveys.
- Integration with NHS: 55% of social care funded jointly in Better Care Fund 2023.
- Private provider market share in adult social care: 85% in England 2023.
- Projected workforce shortage: 152,000 by 2035 in adult social care England.
- Funding gap estimated at £2.7 billion for adult social care by 2025.
- Telecare usage up 25% to 1.8 million users in England 2023.
- Post-pandemic, unpaid carers increased by 10% to 10.6 million in England.
- Sustainability rating: Only 23% of providers financially sustainable in 2023.
- Global social care spending projected to rise 5.2% annually to 2030 per OECD.
- Social care waiting lists up 20% to 500,000 in England 2023.
- Tech-enabled care market growth 12% to £2bn in UK 2023.
- Workforce growth projected 15% by 2030 in US home care BLS.
- EU social care digitalisation 40% adoption rate 2023 Eurostat.
- Climate impact: 10% rise in care needs due to heatwaves UK 2023.
- Post-Brexit, 30% drop in EEA care workers to UK 2023 ONS.
- Pandemic legacy: 25% more mental health social care referrals 2023.
- Preventive social care investment ROI 2.5:1 per £1 spent NHS.
- Global ageing: Social care demand up 50% by 2050 WHO projection.
Trends Interpretation
This is the story of a system that, while learning to run faster with technology and recognizing the need for preventative care, is still desperately trying to catch up with a tide of demand, a mountain of waiting lists, and a future built on an increasingly fragile and underfunded foundation.
Users
- 1.7 million adults aged 18+ received long-term social care support in England 2022/23.
- 64% of adult social care users in England were aged 65+, totaling 1.02 million in 2022/23.
- 152,000 adults with learning disabilities received social care in England 2022/23.
- 50% of social care recipients aged 18-64 in England had mental health needs in 2022/23.
- Average age of residential care entrants was 85 years in England 2022/23.
- 28% of adult social care users received community-based services only in 2022/23.
- Deprivation levels: 41% of care users lived in 20% most deprived areas in England.
- 317,000 people received NHS-funded nursing care in residential settings in 2022/23.
- Female adults comprised 66% of social care recipients aged 65+ in England 2022/23.
- 12% increase in social care users with dementia diagnoses in England 2022/23.
- 89,000 adults with physical disabilities received short-term social care services.
- Rural areas had 15% fewer social care assessments per capita than urban in 2022/23.
- 22% of users transitioned from hospital to social care within 24 hours in 2022/23.
- Ethnic minorities made up 14% of adult social care users in England 2022/23.
- Average length of residential care stay was 2.8 years for new entrants in 2022/23.
- 7.5% of England's adult population received some social care support in 2022/23.
- 8.8 million US adults need long-term social care services 2022 AARP.
- 1 in 6 UK adults over 65 have care needs, 2.7 million total 2023.
- Dementia affects 944,000 UK people, 70% in social care settings.
- 1.4 million unpaid carers in Scotland, 27% of population 2023.
- 400,000 autistic adults in England, 50% without social care support.
- 2.4 million disabled children in UK, 1 in 20 need social care.
- 75% of care home residents in US are women, average age 83.
- Indigenous Australians 3x more likely to need aged care services.
- 20% of Canadians 75+ live in LTC facilities, 400,000 total.
Users Interpretation
While the statistics paint a picture of a system straining under the weight of an aging population and complex needs, from dementia's sharp rise to the quiet crisis of unmet support for autistic adults, they ultimately reveal a universal truth: our collective need for care is the one club nobody hopes to join, yet membership is growing by the day.
Workforce
- In 2022/23, the adult social care workforce in England stood at 1,646,000 people, marking a 2.5% increase from the previous year but still facing significant vacancy rates of 9.9%.
- The turnover rate for care workers in England's adult social care sector reached 28.1% in 2022/23, higher than the previous year's 27.4%.
- Vacancy rates in adult social care homes for older people in England were 11.1% in 2022/23, up from 10.2% the year before.
- 52% of adult social care employers in England reported recruitment difficulties as a major challenge in 2023.
- The median hourly pay for care workers in England was £10.55 in 2022/23, compared to £11.44 for the whole economy.
- 18.7% of the adult social care workforce in England were aged 55 or over in 2022/23, highlighting an ageing workforce.
- Only 43% of care workers in England received formal training in 2022/23, down from previous years.
- Sickness absence in adult social care averaged 7.5 days per worker in England in 2022/23.
- 36% of adult social care providers in England used agency staff to fill vacancies in 2023.
- The adult social care workforce in England is 82% female, with part-time workers making up 42%.
- In 2022/23, 152,000 leavers from adult social care jobs in England cited low pay as a primary reason.
- Regional vacancy rates highest in London at 13.2% for adult social care in England 2022/23.
- 24% of senior care staff in England planned to leave within a year due to burnout in 2023 surveys.
- Ethnic minority workers comprise 22% of the adult social care workforce in England, up 2% from 2021.
- Only 15% of care homes in England met recommended staffing levels in 2022 CQC inspections.
- Training completion rates for mandatory topics in social care dropped to 68% in England 2022/23.
- 41,000 new starters joined adult social care in England quarterly in 2022/23.
- Pay rises for care workers in England averaged 7.2% in 2022/23 following NLW increase.
- 29% of social care roles in England were filled by workers with less than 6 months experience in 2023.
- Mental health issues affected 35% of social care workers in England, per 2023 surveys.
- In 2021/22, 37,000 children in care in Scotland, up 2% from prior year.
- 82% of social care workforce in Wales identified as female in 2022.
- Northern Ireland care worker vacancies at 15% in domiciliary services 2023.
- 45% of UK social care staff reported high stress levels in 2023 Relate survey.
- EU nationals dropped to 7% of social care workforce post-Brexit 2023.
- In US, 4.5 million home health aides employed in social care 2022 BLS data.
- Australia aged care workforce turnover 22% in 2022 per government report.
- Canada LTC staff shortages 20% amid pandemic recovery 2023 CIHI.
- Japan care worker ratio 2.6 per 100 elderly, needs 3.0 by 2025.
Workforce Interpretation
While the social care workforce grew slightly last year, it remains a leaky bucket with one in ten posts vacant, crippled by low pay, burnout, and insufficient training that causes a quarter of its workers to pour out annually, even as we rely on them to hold water for our ageing population.
Sources & References
- Reference 1SKILLSFORCAREskillsforcare.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 2CQCcqc.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 3GOVgov.ukVisit source
- Reference 4LGOlgo.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 5LOCALlocal.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 6KINGSFUNDkingsfund.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 7TELECAREtelecare.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 8CARERSUKcarersuk.orgVisit source
- Reference 9OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 10GOVgov.scotVisit source
- Reference 11GOVgov.walesVisit source
- Reference 12HEALTH-NIhealth-ni.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 13RELATErelate.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 14MIGRATIONOBSERVATORYmigrationobservatory.ox.ac.ukVisit source
- Reference 15BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 16ROYAL COMMISSION INTO AGED CARE QUALITY AND SAFETYRoyal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.Visit source
- Reference 17CIHIcihi.caVisit source
- Reference 18MHLWmhlw.go.jpVisit source
- Reference 19MEDICAIDmedicaid.govVisit source
- Reference 20STATSstats.oecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 21AGEUKageuk.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 22SOLIDARITES-SANTEsolidarites-sante.gouv.frVisit source
- Reference 23SOCIALSTYRELSENsocialstyrelsen.seVisit source
- Reference 24AARPaarp.orgVisit source
- Reference 25ALZHEIMERSalzheimers.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 26CARERScarers.orgVisit source
- Reference 27NATIONALAUTISTICnationalautistic.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 28SCOPEscope.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 29CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 30AIHWaihw.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 31ANNSCRAIGannscraig.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 32NRLSAFETYALERTSnrlsafetyalerts.nhs.ukVisit source
- Reference 33CAREINSPECTORATEcareinspectorate.walesVisit source
- Reference 34CMScms.govVisit source
- Reference 35MYAGEDCAREmyagedcare.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 36LAINGBUISSONlaingbuisson.comVisit source
- Reference 37ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 38ONSons.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 39MINDmind.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 40WHOwho.intVisit source