DHSC publish results from survey on the work-related quality of life and wellbeing of the adult social care workforce.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned Ipsos, the University of Kent and Skills for Care to develop, design and conduct a survey of the adult social care workforce in England to measure work-related quality of life and wellbeing. This research was commissioned and conducted in 2023, but the findings are still relevant and provide insights and evidence to inform policy development to support the adult social care workforce.

A survey of the adult social care workforce in England was commissioned to help DHSC better understand the experience of people working in the sector, and develop policies to support the workforce. The survey data also supplements existing evidence in the Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset (ASC-WDS), produced by Skills for Care.

A phased approach was adopted to develop, design and conduct the survey. This included:

• A Rapid Evidence Review of existing measures of subjective wellbeing and work-related quality of life, conducted by University of Kent.
• Development and testing of a new measure of care-work related quality of life specific to the adult social care sector. This involved focus groups to test and refine the ASCOT-Workforce measure developed by the University of Kent, and cognitive interviews to test key questions, with members the ASC workforce.
• Questionnaire design, led by Ipsos in close collaboration with University of Kent and Skills for Care.
• A pilot survey conducted online, with dissemination of the pilot link by Skills for Care and University of Kent.
• Mainstage survey, conducted online, hosted by Ipsos with dissemination of the survey link by Skills for Care.
• Data linking with ASC-WDS, conducted by Skills for Care and Ipsos.
• Psychometric analysis of two different work-related quality of life measures (Van Laar and ASCOT-Workforce) by University of Kent.

The project received extensive input, advice and guidance from an Expert Reference Group, which comprised senior stakeholders in the adult social care sector.  

Survey fieldwork took place between August and October 2023, and included questions on, overall wellbeing, work related quality of life, experiences of harassment, abuse and bullying, learning and development and intentions to leave the sector. A total of 7,233 members of the ASC workforce responded to the survey and the data were weighted to reflect the demographic profile of the workforce in England.  

DHSC has published the findings from the research. The findings are outlined in a report, which starts with an executive summary. Other published outputs include a technical report and the data tables with responses to each question. All outputs can be downloaded by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page. 

The findings and recommendations are relevant to a wide range of organisations including local authorities, care providers, umbrella organisations, individual employers, members of the workforce and organisations representing or supporting the workforce. Steps that could be taken to improve the wellbeing and work-related quality of life of the adult social care workforce include:

• Signposting sources of support to improve overall wellbeing.
• Ensuring that the leadership of adult social care organisations stand up against physical violence, bullying and harassment in the workplace; supports a culture in which the workforce feel confident in reporting concerns; and addresses these issues when they are reported.
• Ensuring members of the workforce have a meaningful appraisal or review once a year, with clear objectives that motivate them.
• Helping members of the workforce make the most of the opportunities currently available for learning and development.
• Understanding more about differences in experience between different job roles and work settings and tackling challenges which are specific to these or learning from positive experiences.

To access the main report, please click here. 

To download the tables, please click here. 

Claire Lambert and Laura Dale have written a blog reflecting on the findings which can be found here.