Social care workers in Wales feel undervalued by the public and underpaid for the work they do, a new survey has revealed.

Published by Social Care Wales, the poll of over 3,000 social care workers revealed that only 44% and 48% respectively feel valued by the public and partner agencies like health staff and police.

Only 26% of respondents reported feeling satisfied with their current level of pay, and 33% said they are finding it difficult to manage financially.

While 76% said they feel valued by those they care for, 77% told the pollsters that having too much work or not having enough time to do it causes stress.

Commenting on the survey findings, Cllr Huw David, Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) spokesperson for Health and Social Care said the poll ‘adds further evidence to the need to address the workforce challenges facing us with urgency.’

He continued: ‘The fact that many still reflect that they feel undervalued by the public and underpaid for the work they do remains a cause for concern. We need a workforce who are truly valued, have parity of esteem with NHS workers and are appropriately rewarded for the invaluable work they do.

‘It is essential that we prioritise and invest in our social care workforce, failing to do so will have severe consequences for the future delivery of our essential social care services which play such an important part in many people’s lives.’

If this article was of interest, then check out our feature, 'Keeping patients out of hospital: Why one council is spending money on health tech'.