Between 30 September 2025 and 6 March 2026, the government hosted a public consultation on the design of the fair pay agreement process in England, which is a manifesto priority for government.
The consultation received 1,221 responses across the standard and easy read consultations. The government response and detailed analysis of responses received for each part of the consultation has now been published.
The government will now progress towards laying regulations later this year with negotiations for the first fair pay agreement expected to start in 2027.
Consultation about the fair pay agreement process in adult social care.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is seeking the views of individuals and organisations about fair pay agreements. This consultation aims to gather views from the sector on how to establish the best way to collectively agree a fair pay agreement.
The outcomes of this consultation will help DHSC to understand sector views on a range of areas including:
the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body
the negotiating process
coverage and remit
dispute resolution
implementation
compliance and enforcement
We updated this page on 20 October 2025 to include the impact assessment for the proposed fair pay agreement process in adult social care. If you feel this has affected your previously submitted consultation response, you can email additional comments, evidence or corrections to us directly: ascfpa@dhsc.gov.uk.
Excerpt from the official page. The original is authoritative.