Kathy Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Mental Health Providers, examines the rising mental health challenges faced by care workers and explores solutions like stronger support systems, wellbeing initiatives, and policy reform.
Care workers play an essential part in supporting others well-being, providing vital services to vulnerable people in homes, hospitals, and the community. However, the reality is that it often comes at a price. Overworked, underpaid, and under pressure, many care workers are experiencing a mental health crisis hidden from the public eye. The extent of the emotional toll they experience has been overlooked. But, as the demands of this workforce increase, taking action to address the crisis is paramount.
The mental health of care workers is often overlooked in the push to meet increasing demand. The Social Care 360 report showed that in 2022/23, requests for support surpassed 2 million, encompassing both older people and working-age adults.
As the UK’s population ages, mental health conditions and disability rates increase across the board, the need for care services grows, and the pressure on care workers has intensified. By 2022/23, 23% of working-age adults reported a disability, up from just 16% a decade earlier (2012/13). The Association’s 3-year mapping project highlights a concerning shift in the landscape of social care, particularly within the mental health sector. This has led to the prioritisation of meeting a growing demand for care and support services, despite the impact of rising pressure on staff.
It is no secret that care workers are underpaid when as recently as March 2024, the median hourly rate for care workers was £11.00, only 58p higher than the national living wage. The cost of care will rise due to increased staff wages, and the National Living Wage set to rise to £12.21 in April 2025, however for the essential services care workers provide, many do not think this is sufficient.
Low pay and long hours have a significant impact on the emotional resilience of the care workforce, which can lead to burnout, stress, and a decline in overall well-being.
All employers in Britain have a ‘duty of care’ which means that they must do all they reasonably can to support workers’ health, safety, and well-being. Care providers should be legally required to offer mental health support to employees, particularly when a health condition has been disclosed to the employers which, when classed as a disability, would be protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Workplace culture plays a critical role in reducing burnout and stress among workers. Providing adequate training, resources and support can enable care workers to feel well-equipped to handle the challenges of their roles. Creating a healthy culture based on collaboration, open communication, and a good work-life balance helps teams to work well together to achieve shared goals without risking staff health.
As the demand for social care continues to rise, which alongside a turnover rate, equivalent to approximately 350,000 leavers over the year for directly employed staff working in the adult social care sector in 2024 (Skills for Care), a GMB Union survey shows, “70% of social care workers say understaffing is negatively affecting their mental health.”
The mounting pressures on care staff needs a three-pronged approach.
On top of the environment factors, I mentioned earlier, employers can encourage staff to fill out a Wellness Action Plan to share with line managers. This personalised tool enables employees to use to identify how to address what keeps individuals mentally well at work and what can result in poor mental health.
Policymakers should introduce and enforce laws that require employers to provide mental health support for care workers which may include creating legal requirements for access to counselling, stress management programmes, and regular check-ins. By increasing the funding for health and social care, this would help reduce understaffing and allow for better pay conditions for care workers.
Leaders can also support unpaid carers by offering respite care, training programmes, and financial assistance.
We need a collective effort to prioritise the well-being of care workers, not only for their mental health, but also for the quality of care they provide to those who need it most.
