We Launch Unfair To Care 2026 – ‘Signs Of Change’

Community Integrated Care has today (Wednesday 11th March 2026) launched Unfair To Care 2026 – ‘Signs Of Change’, the fifth edition of our charity’s Unfair To Care series, highlighting pay inequality in adult social care.

Using exclusive measurement by global leaders in job evaluation, Korn Ferry, Unfair To Care 2026 reveals a 28.6% take-home pay gap between adult social care support workers and equivalent NHS Band 3 staff – a figure virtually unchanged from last year.

A persistent pay gap for care workers

Despite a 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 in 2025/26, support workers continue to take home £7,048 less per year than NHS Band 3 colleagues carrying out roles of equivalent accountability, complexity and skill.

Care providers are also facing a 9% rise in operating costs in 2025/26, driven by unfunded increases in Employer National Insurance and the National Living Wage, and whilst full implementation of the Fair Pay Agreement is on the horizon, it’s still years away.

Alongside this, with vacancy rates within the social care sector remaining at 7%, over three times the UK average of 2.3%, our report warns that the sector cannot afford to stand still.

Signs of Change – progress, but not enough

Unfair To Care 2026 also examines how the Government’s planned Fair Pay Agreement, due to take effect in 2028/29 with £500 million of funding, would impact the social care pay gap.

Currently, this level of investment is expected to deliver an uplift of 68p per hour above the National Minimum Wage for direct care workers. However, even if that funding had been available in 2025/26 at current pay rates, social care support workers would still earn 29p per hour less than the NHS baseline – a 2.3% shortfall equating to £567 a year.

On take-home pay, the picture is starker still: direct care workers would still be taking home £2.92 per hour less than their NHS equivalents – a 22% gap worth £5,710 a year.

In other words, the gap would narrow, but the unfair pay differential would not be eliminated completely.

Our report also raises concerns that, if employer on-costs are absorbed within the 68p uplift, the amount reaching workers could fall to approximately 50p per hour, further limiting the Fair Pay Agreement’s impact.

Our call for action

To stabilise the workforce and move meaningfully towards fair pay in social care, Community Integrated Care is calling on the Government to act now rather than wait for the Fair Pay Agreement to take effect.

Our key recommendations include:

Interim pay uplifts in 2026/27 and 2027/28 to narrow the gap and stabilise the workforce ahead of full implementation.

Full flow-through of funding from local councils to care providers, including employer on-costs such as National Insurance and pension contributions.

A clear method for determining fee levels that reflect the true cost of care.

Investment in recruitment, training and retention alongside any pay floor increase.

No backdating of additional pay unless the required funding is clearly identified and passed through in full and on time.

Teresa Exelby, Chief Corporate Services and People Officer at Community Integrated Care, commented: “Five years ago, the take-home pay gap between social care support workers and equivalent NHS roles stood at a stark 39%. Today, it stands at 28.6% – still a significant £7,048 a year. Whilst progress has been made, narrowing the gap is not the same as closing it.

“We’re now entering a moment of real possibility. The Government’s commitment to a statutory Fair Pay Agreement, coupled with the work of the Casey Commission, creates a genuine opportunity to address structural inequality that has persisted for decades. Yet our modelling shows that even under the proposed financial envelope, a notable difference in take-home pay would remain.”

“Social care is delivered by skilled professionals exercising judgement, accountability, and a deep compassion every day. If the changes now underway are funded properly and implemented with discipline, there is a real opportunity to strengthen workforce stability and build a more sustainable future. The direction is clearer than it has been for some time. The responsibility now is to ensure this moment leads to tangible change – and that fairness is delivered fully, not partially.”

Tauseef, a person supported by Community Integrated Care in Stockport, said: “It’s good to see some recognition of how vital Support Workers are, and the difference they make in enabling people with support needs to live our lives and do the things we enjoy. But if I’m honest, we’re still a long way from where we need to be.”

“Support Workers are still not being paid fairly, and too many are going without the proper support and training they deserve. People with lived experience like me are still not being listened to in the way we should be. Every person with a disability deserves truly great support – but right now, that’s not the reality for enough of us. That’s exactly why our Unfair To Care campaign matters so much, and why there is still so much more work to do.”