Potential Impact of COVID-19 Government Policy on the Adult Social Care Workforce

This report is the output of a project conducted by IES and commissioned by the Health Foundation. Its purpose was to identify how government COVID-19 related policy may have impacted upon the adult social care workforce in England.

The project had a particular focus on Test and Trace, and the ways in which policy changes may have enabled and incentivised the necessary behaviours of care workers.

The working hypothesis has been that care workers’ behaviours are likely to be driven by a combination of commitment to those they care for, risks to themselves and their families from COVID-19 and impacts on incomes. Government policy changes were identified based on the assumed likelihood to impact on these factors.

IES identified five areas of government policy to explore the impact on the adult social care workforce and their potential to incentivise the desired behaviours of workers.

The policies IES reviewed were:

• Action Plan for Adult Social Care and Social Care Sector COVID-19 Support Taskforce
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Coronavirus Bereavement Scheme and Compensation for Families of Care Workers
• Care Home Support Package
• Health & Wellbeing for Adult Social Care