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Publication Health and Care Local Government Social security 9 July, 2026

Care to stay: a practical, place-based strategy for the adult social care workforce

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Adult social care is a vital, yet frequently overlooked, public service. It supports people at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. Yet the workforce is struggling, threatening the quality and availability of adult social care services altogether.

Vacancies and turnover are persistently high, domestic recruitment has fallen, and demand for care is forecast to continue growing at pace. Meanwhile the workforce faces low pay, excessive workloads, varied and frequently low-quality training, and poor recognition. The result is gaps in service provision and varied, frequently poor, care quality. This is unacceptable.

Chronic underfunding of the sector underpins many of these challenges and must be addressed urgently with a new funding model (see Beyond caring for Re:State’s answer), but action to address the workforce crisis cannot wait for the funding of the sector to be fixed.

Care to stay recommends a solution, calling on local authorities, care providers, the NHS, and the Government to take action to support and enable the adult social care workforce.

To read an executive summary click here.