BASW England makes case for greater focus on workforce wellbeing

On World Mental Health Day, BASW England and the British British Psychological Society are calling for a greater focus from policy-makers on supporting workforce wellbeing.

Alongside the British Psychological Society (BPS), BASW recently uncovered that Councils in England lost over 500,000 working days to mental ill-health and stress among their social care staff last year.

The wellbeing of our social care workforce should be a top priority and the need for urgent action has never been starker.

BASW England and BPS have therefore written on World Mental Health Day to the UK Government warning them of these troubling findings and demanding steps are taken to address the situation. 

We’re calling for:

  1. Monthly reporting of staff absences: Implement a robust system for monthly reporting of staff absences to identify common patterns and gain a comprehensive understanding of the reasons behind these absences.
  2. Long-term, ring-fenced funding of services: Allocate sustained, ring-fenced funding for dedicated mental health and wellbeing support for health and care staff. This should include the immediate reinstatement and expansion of NHS staff mental health and wellbeing hubs. The closure of these hubs, as mentioned in the report, has left a significant void in mental health support for social care staff, leaving both them and the individuals they serve vulnerable.

Additionally, BASW England is calling for:

Improvement of pay and working conditions: Acknowledge the demanding nature of social care work and take decisive measures to improve pay and working conditions for social care workers. Valuing and supporting these professionals are essential not only for retaining existing staff but also for attracting new talent, thereby ensuring the provision of effective, safe services to our communities.

You can read the full letter to the Minister for Health and Social Care, Helen Whately MP on the link below.