GMB, the union for care workers, has responded to today’s inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Social Care.

The cross-party group has published a series of recommendations, including the establishment of a new national care body for England with NHS affiliation, a reformed and accredited Care Certificate with a gateway to career development and a programme for workforce training.

GMB has tens of thousands members working in care across the UK.

The union commissioned a report as part of its submission to the APPG inquiry ‘Professionalisation At Work in Adult Social Care’ by Dr Lydia Hayes, Dr Eleanor Johnson and Alison Tarrant. 

Kelly Andrews, GMB National Officer for Care, said:

“Today’s groundbreaking cross-party report is very welcome – especially after seeing the long-awaited social care green paper kicked into the long grass over and over again.

"It’s encouraging to see politicians of all stripes putting forward a bold plan to fix a care sector that is crumbling around our ears. 

“Our highly skilled members working in care are undervalued and underpaid – GMB has been campaigning to professionalise the sector for many years.

“Care workers’ skills and knowledge must be recognised – we need a national council to lay the foundations for a standard framework for training.

"That is a first steps towards a national social care body to establish national bargaining of terms and conditions of employment.

"GMB has continuously warned underfunding and lack of professionalisation is killing our social care sector - we need investment and a step change in care. 

"The time for talking is over - now is the time for action.”