Responding to whether social workers will be in the next NHS workforce plan

Mental health social workers must be properly recognised as part of the NHS workforce.

We were so pleased to hear Andrew George MP raise the vital question of whether social workers will be included in the next NHS workforce plan at this week’s Health and Social Care Select Committee session.

This is something we said loud and clear in our evidence to the Committee earlier this year, and it’s what we’ve been calling for in our #SocialWorkMatters campaign, which asks for 24,000 more mental health social workers over the next 10 years.

It was also great to hear a clear recognition of the excellent role social workers are already playing in multidisciplinary teams at the new 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres.

At Think Ahead we have long championed the importance of social approaches in mental health.

Social workers are vital to providing holistic, person-centred, integrated mental health care. They bring the skills needed to address social issues that have a profound impact on mental health, such as housing, isolation, trauma, and inequality.

They have a transformative impact on the people they work with.

It is time the workforce plan reflected that.