Record £36 Billion Investment to Reform NHS and Social Care

The Prime Minister has pledged to tackle NHS Covid backlogs with a £36 billion investment boost.

Right now, there’s great news for those working in healthcare and social care, as the UK Government lays down plans to take “responsible, fair and necessary action” to deal with the backlogs caused by the pandemic.

This is set to be the biggest catch-up programme in history, with a huge injection of cash to reform the adult social care system. Not only will the £36 billion funding help to deal with the unmanageable COVID backlogs, but it will cut waiting times so patients receive better quality of care.

A plan to increase NHS capacity

The challenges of the pandemic have been many, including a diversion of resources away from elective surgery and routine treatment. This has meant the number of people on waiting lists reached a record high of 5.5 million.

In the catch-up programme, the NHS is set to increase its capacity by 110% by 2023/24. The planned activity levels mean that hospitals, surgeries and healthcare centres will be able to offer more appointments, more treatments and a higher number of operations per day.

From April 2022, the government will introduce a UK-wide 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy, and this will be ring-fenced for all health and social care needs.

More training and support for care workers

Within the social care reform plan, there will be extra investment into training and support for social care professionals.

One of the areas of focus is continuous professional development (CPD) for the workforce, including hundreds of thousands of training places and certifications for care workers looking to enhance their skills and boost their earnings.

Other benefits of this new financial boost include:

- Pastoral support for care staff

- Improved mental health resources

- Access to peer-to-peer coaching

Upskilling in health and social care

If you are interested in a social care career, this is a great time to further your knowledge with continuous professional development (CPD) and postgraduate training. With the new commitment from the UK government in terms of reform, there’s never been a better time to train in this sector.

Those who have worked throughout the COVID crisis may have felt deflated, and understandably so in such challenging times. But the £36 billion investment provides workers with a new sense of hope.

Centrally, the UK Government has put in a number of measures to help providers recruit and retain staff (including their recent Every Day is Different campaign), and this sector is set to receive a much higher level of support than before.

Big changes are coming and while they won’t happen overnight, working in health and social care can be rewarding and most fulfilling, with a lot to look forward to in the future. For anyone who likes to help others or for those who dream of making a difference, this line of work is a great career to get into.

If you’re not sure if being a health worker or care worker is right for you, take this quiz provided by the Department of Health & Social Care.

Or to find out more about applying for postgraduate training in 2022, see our available courses.