Recommendation COVID-M6.8: Voluntary Adult Social Care Workforce Register
From Module 6: Care Sector, published 20 October 2026.
Recommendation
The UK government should implement a voluntary workforce register for adult social care workers in England, in order to strengthen the professionalisation and recognition for those working in the care sector. This should be developed in conjunction with social care staff, providers, commissioners and oversight bodies.
This should formalise the ongoing work to improve workforce progression and retention and any learning from registration schemes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The design of the register should consider:
the most appropriate body or agency to operate the register, including processing applications, data-sharing and publication;
the benefits and requirements of joining the register, including the best means to incentivise membership; and
the funding model that will support the establishment and operation of the register.
The voluntary register should be implemented within two years of the publication of this Report.
Once the voluntary register has been operating for no more than five years, the UK government should undertake a full cost–benefit analysis of the workforce register and review whether membership should become mandatory.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Department of Health and Social Care has been found in the sources searched (last checked 20 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.