Today, 30 September 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting has announced £500m as part of the Government’s plans to introduce a Fair Pay Agreement for social care workers.
Responding to this announcement, Ewan King, Chair of the Care Provider Alliance says:
“£500 million to fund a Fair Pay Agreement is a start, but realism is required. Two-thirds of care is funded by local government and the NHS, and there are the equivalent of 1.27 million full time roles in England’s care workforce. This new funding runs the risk of being thinly spread and going largely unnoticed.
“Any commitments around pay and changes in employment rights more broadly rely on councils continuing to increase local taxes. The reality is many of the 23,000 adult social care providers in England are already battling to keep their heads above water in the face of rising costs and Local Authorities underfunding key services.
“Alongside funding, making a social care Fair Pay Agreement a success requires a properly resourced negotiating infrastructure, a shared understanding of the data needed to inform pay negotiations and for Ministers to look at how care is commissioned.
“Providers are committed to ensuring a Fair Pay Agreement delivers for care workers and the launch of the government consultation today on the Fair Pay Agreement is a positive milestone. We urge providers to submit their views on how central government will enforce pay and benefits for their workforce.
“The care and support system supports a growing aging population, disabled people and people experiencing mental ill health. It is made up of a highly-skilled, low-paid workforce that is larger than the NHS. The Fair Pay Agreement is just one piece of a jigsaw for making social care the high-status career it should be.”
– Ends –
Notes to Editors
- The government is still to decide what types of roles will be covered by the Social Care Fair Pay Agreement and what pay and conditions it will relate to.
- Skills for Care estimate there are 1.27 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) roles in Adult Social care in England. If it is assumed each works 37 hours per week, it can be estimated that they are paid (including holiday time) for 2.44 billion hours of work each year (1.27 million x 37 hours per week x 52 weeks per year). On this basis, it can be estimated that increasing the hourly wage of all these roles by £1 would cost £2.44 billion. Two-thirds of care is funded by local government and the NHS.
About the Care Provider Alliance (CPA)
The Care Provider Alliance is a coalition of 10 associations. We advocate for the sector and ensure a coordinated response to the major issues that affect it.
We represent private, voluntary and community sector care providers in England. Some members also represent services in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. The Care Provider Alliance speaks for the whole of the adult social care sector, including care homes; home care services; housing with care; integrated retirement communities; shared lives schemes; services for people with learning disabilities and autism; mental health and community-based support. Members support children, adults of working age and older people. Local authorities, health bodies or private individuals purchase care from providers.
We reach over 95% of all care and support provider organisations, in a sector with 1.6 million employees helping people to live good-quality, independent lives. The scale of our sector’s work is vast, affecting the lives of over 10 million adults at any given time, including people using formal and informal care, care workers, and unpaid carers.
The Care Provider Alliance is an informal body. The role of CPA chair rotates annually across each of the ten associations in line with our terms of reference.
For more information on the Care Provider Alliance visit the website https://www.careprovideralliance.org.uk/
Contact:info@careprovideralliance.org.uk
