Social care reform

UNISON is dedicated to creating a national care service that focuses on quality care for all and fair pay for workers, not shareholder profits

What is happening

The current fragmented and privatised care system is unfit to meet the needs of the public. And too many care workers across the country are dealing with low pay, unfair conditions and a lack of respect for the vital work they do.

Most social care in England is commissioned by local government and delivered by private companies. The system has been run down by a combination of huge funding cuts to councils and profit extraction. The picture is similar in Scotland and Wales, with the care system hindered by underfunding and staff shortages. In Northern Ireland, while health and social care are integrated, many of the same problems exist for the workforce and those they care for.

National standards are not properly enforced, and care workers often face poverty wages and exploitation. Pay for care workers is at rock-bottom, despite being a difficult, skilled job with huge responsibilities. Some are taking home even less due to inadequate travel time or overnight pay.

And, because care visas are issued to employers, the system places private care companies and employment agencies in a position of incredible power over international recruits in social care. With little or no checks or regulation, they are free to bully and intimidate migrant workers.

Care workers are the beating heart of a system that should look after our loved ones with compassion and kindness. Care workers must be valued, recognised and rewarded as skilled professionals.

The buck passing needs to stop, and we have to say that care work is high-value, high-status work that needs to be paid properly

Sam Thornton

Chair of UNISON’s National Social Care Committee

What UNISON is doing

Only by working collectively – putting more pressure on the government and employers, as the large and diverse group we are – will we win the pay, dignity and respect our members deserve. It’s time for a National Care Service.

UNISON believes that social care should become part of a nationally recognised institution that can respond to the needs of older and disabled people, improving and enriching their lives. In 2024, as the largest union in the care sector, UNISON kicked off the campaign for a National Care Service that:

gives access to quality care for all those who need it;
is focused on providing world-class social care, not delivering profits for shareholders;
has national pay, terms and conditions for all care workers and a proper workforce plan;
has the long-term and adequate funding for a high-quality care service.

The government’s Employment Rights Act aims to improve pay and conditions in social care by establishing the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, which will deliver a Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) for care workers.

We at UNISON are working to guarantee that the potential of the FPA is fulfilled and campaigning to ensure that a National Care Service is delivered.