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12 August, 2020 Open access

Carers UK warns that government’s ‘continual failure’ to tackle social care reform is now impacting the wider workforce in England

New survey finds that two thirds of employers say more support is needed from care services to keep staff in work

Carers UK has warned that the government's 'continual failure' to tackle social care reform is now impacting the wider workforce in England.

From a survey it carried out before the coronavirus pandemic, Carers UK reports that 64 per cent of employers said that caring responsibilities and the ageing population were likely to lead to the loss of employees, with staff giving up work to care, and two-thirds said that there needs to be more practical assistance from care and support services to ensure staff with unpaid caring responsibilities are able to remain in work.

Highlighting also that an additional 2.8 million workers have picked up caring responsibilities in a matter of weeks, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, bringing the total number of people juggling work and unpaid care to 7 million, Carers UK warns that - 

'Continual failure to tackle social care reform is now impacting the wider workforce in England.'

Calling therefore for the government to invest in social care in recognition of how big an issue caring responsibility has become for jobs and the economy, Carers UK Chief Executive Helen Walker said -

‘When you’re caring for someone and you can’t get the support you need from social care services, it can become impossible to stay in work.

Our survey shows that businesses are now having to manage the fallout of this increasingly common dilemma for staff who are juggling work and care for a relative.

Just as childcare used to be a key issue stopping women from continuing to work, now caring is holding back thousands of people from enjoying a fulfilling career and retaining an income.

If the Government wants to ensure jobs and keep the economy thriving it has to recognise how big an issue caring has become for a huge swathe of workers - and their employers. Investing in social care and delivering an ambitious plan for reform would allow thousands of people to benefit from a job and improve productivity across industries.’

For more information, see Two in three employers say more support from care services needed to keep staff in work from carersuk.org