Skills for Care’s latest report into the state of care has revealed strong links between investment and training in the adult social care sector and the delivery of higher quality care.
The annual ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report was published last week by Skills for Care at what they suggest is a “defining moment” for the sector.
It examines key trends in filled posts, pay, recruitment and demographics within adult social care.
The national care workforce development charity says their flagship report helps identify key factors – such as increased training opportunities – which result in improved staff retention and better care and support for people using services.
They found that adult social care staff turnover rates fell from 34.3% to 15.3% when employers in the sector combined competitive pay, guaranteed hours, training, qualifications and full-time employment opportunities.
Positive link between workforce investment and better CQC ratings
Covering the period from April 2025 until March 2026, the latest state of care report shows that the adult social care workforce has grown for the fourth consecutive year, with vacancies at their lowest level in a decade.
The report also found a positive link between investment in the care workforce and the quality of care being delivered.
Skills for Care says the following factors were all strongly associated with better Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings:
- Better workforce conditions, including higher staffing ratios
- Better pay
- Increased training opportunities
- Greater uptake of the Care Certificate standards
- Lower vacancy rates
Their annual report also highlights the importance and value of retaining an experienced registered manager within a care setting. It found that turnover among care workers falls from 28.3% to 20.6% as the experience of the registered manager increases, showing the value of care providers investing in leadership development and supporting managers to develop long-term careers in the sector.
Taken together, these findings suggest that workforce investment helps care providers to retain skilled staff and deliver higher-quality care.
Workforce development is a key priority for adult social care
Skills for Care says that providers who combine good employment practices, development opportunities and effective leadership experience the strongest outcomes. When workers feel supported, valued and able to develop in their careers this fosters a positive workplace culture which also filters through to people using care and support services.
The majority of employers in the sector seem to understand this. The state of care report found that workforce development is a key priority for the sector, with over a quarter of responding employers (26%) using the Care Workforce Pathway to identify skills gaps and development opportunities.
There are, however, some continued challenges around qualifications, with only just over a third of care workers and support workers holding a formal qualification at level 2 or above (37%). This represents a significant drop from 2018-19, when almost half of care workers held such qualifications (48%).
Skills for Care says it is important that investment in staff learning and development continues.
The report also reveals that employers are building value for care workers by going beyond the statutory employment requirements to support their workforce. For example, around 1 in 4 care sector employers contributes more than the minimum 3% to care workers’ pensions, while 1 in 4 pay care workers above Statutory Sick Pay levels.
State of care report ‘paints a mixed picture’
But the charity says the report “paints a mixed picture.”
While the adult social care workforce has grown, vacancies have fallen and it remains relatively stable, growth is slowing and showing its lowest rate in four years. The report reveals that the number of filled posts grew by 1.4% last year, compared to a peak growth of 4.9% between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
In addition, there are fewer British workers in the sector and international recruitment has also reduced significantly, meaning employers face ongoing challenges.
Young people are underrepresented in the sector, making up just 7% of the adult social care workforce, compared to 12% of England’s overall economically active population. Turnover is also highest among care workers under the age of 25 (35.5%).
In the face of slowing workforce growth and declining international recruitment – and as care needs continue to grow – attracting younger workers to the sector is crucial for the future workforce supply.
Skills for Care says the report also highlights the “increasingly important role” that social care plays within the wider health and care system.
State of care report comes at ‘defining moment’ for adult social care
For example, data shows that delegated healthcare activities have become a significant part of social care delivery. Delegated healthcare activities are tasks that a regulated healthcare professional delegates to a colleague in a non-regulated job role. The report shows that non-nursing staff now carry out delegated healthcare activities in 59% of responding CQC-regulated services and that an estimated 46% of direct care workers also undertake these activities.
Skills for Care argues that this underlines the importance of including social care in neighbourhood health models, clinical capacity planning, workforce planning and funding decisions.
Commenting on the state of care report, Skills for Care Chief Executive, Professor Oonagh Smyth, 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.”
While acknowledging that it was “positive” to see the care workforce becoming more stable, and celebrating investment in the workforce, she warned that there was more work to do to meet future demand, warning:
“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.”
Skills for Care are holding a regional launch event on Thursday 5th November. Taking the form of a webinar, this event will enable those in the sector to take a regionally focused look at the annual state of care report. While the overall webinar will examine the data across England, regional breakout rooms will provide attendees with a comprehensive analysis of the adult social care workforce in their area.
Anyone interested in attending this launch event can register at Skills for Care’s website.
Training and development opportunities for the care workforce
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national provider of high-quality training services.
They deliver health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, health and social care, mental health and other special focus courses.
They can offer training via face-to-face, classroom style learning, interactive e-learning, live online webinar sessions or distance learning manuals and can also offer public courses at their venues across the UK.
Their extensive health and social care range is mapped to national occupational standards, the Care Certificate, the Skills for Health Core Skills Framework and relevant legislation and further guidance.
All courses are also based on the values of person centred care.
A health and social care trainer for FRT says:
“Adult social care workers provide a valuable service in this country and we know from the settings that we work with and provide training to that they are a dedicated, hard-working and passionate bunch.
“As a workforce, they need continued support and training to be able to continue to fulfil their challenging but rewarding roles.”
For more information about any of the training courses that FRT can offer, please contact freephone 0800 310 2300 or info@firstresponsetraining.com.