Registered managers in adult social care - a look at support and development requirements
Adult social care is under significant pressure, partly due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. This has led to a recruitment crisis, making it increasingly difficult for registered managers to manage their services and maintain their mental health and well-being.
What is adult social care?
Adult social care provides practical support to help people over 18 live independently and stay safe and well. This support can be offered at home, in care homes, or within the community. In 2023 and 2024, about 1.59 million people worked in adult social care in England. Local authorities, like North Yorkshire Council, manage these services, funded by central government grants and local sources like council tax.
Healthwatch’s role
North Yorkshire Council asked Healthwatch North Yorkshire to investigate the support and development needs of registered managers in adult social care. Healthwatch looked into the challenges these managers face, what aspects of their jobs are working well, and where additional training and support are needed.
The role of a registered manager
A registered manager oversees the care of individuals and leads a team of staff. They also support relatives and ensure compliance with regulations and policies. The role has become more complex and demanding, making it crucial for managers to receive adequate support to maintain high-quality care and their own well-being.
Key findings
Healthwatch’s investigation revealed that registered managers are under immense pressure, with many feeling overwhelmed and burned out.
- Service pressures: The adult social care sector is under significant pressure, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Recruitment crisis: Difficulty in hiring and retaining staff makes it hard for Registered Managers to manage their services and maintain their mental health.
- High stress levels: 50% of registered managers feel overwhelmed and overworked, and 18% feel burned out.
- Changing roles: 80% of managers reported that their roles have become more varied and pressured over time.
Based on these findings, Healthwatch made several recommendations to North Yorkshire Council to improve support and training for registered managers, ensuring they can continue to provide high-quality care while looking after their own well-being.
Our recommendations
Training recommendations
- New standards: Provide training on the latest Care Quality Commission requirements.
- Leadership skills: Offer training in leadership and management, especially for new managers.
- Well-being and resilience: Focus on training that helps managers build resilience and maintain their well-being.
- Digital skills: Enhance digital training to keep up with technological advancements.
- Better inductions: Improve the induction process for new care staff to reduce the burden on managers.
- Flexible training delivery: Use a mix of online and face-to-face training, depending on the topic.
- Practical application: Ensure training includes practical steps for managers to apply what they learn.
Support recommendations
- Real-time support team: Create a dedicated support team of experienced managers to provide advice and assistance.
- Peer networks: Facilitate connections between managers through support networks and buddy systems, tailored to their specific care settings.
- Online forums: Develop online spaces where managers can share problems, solutions, and simply vent their stresses.
- Provider connections: Help managers connect more effectively with their care providers or owners.
Development recommendations
- Raise sector profile: Work with care providers to improve the public image of the care sector through positive PR and communications.
- Joint recruitment efforts: Work with health sector organisations to promote careers in care, including outreach to schools and retraining programs.
- Career progression: Develop clear career paths within the care sector in partnership with local authorities and care providers.
- Job descriptions and pay: Review and adjust job descriptions and pay scales to ensure they reflect the responsibilities and workload of managers. Work with the Care Quality Commission to reduce the scope of managers’ duties where necessary.
These recommendations aim to provide better training, support, and development opportunities for registered managers, ensuring they can deliver high-quality care while maintaining their own well-being.
Read the full report
This report pulls together the feedback we received via our survey and focus groups as well as additional literature on this topic and what other councils and the NHS currently have in place to support managers locally.
The findings and recommendations set out in this report are aimed at helping North Yorkshire Council develop an action plan of support for registered managers.
"We would like to thank Healthwatch North Yorkshire for producing this report and in response we have established a multi-agency group to produce an action plan to explore the key findings and agree how we might progress the recommendations highlighted in the report."
