The West Midlands Memorandum of Commitment is a regional agreement to support the more effective and consistent management of agency staff across adult social care. It brings together all 14 West Midlands councils, working in partnership with WM ADASS and West Midlands Employers, to take coordinated action on agency pay rates, workforce supply and demand, recruitment standards and the appropriate use of agency workers.
The Memorandum was developed in response to ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining adult social care professionals, increasing reliance on agency workers, and the financial and workforce pressures this places on councils. By adopting a shared regional approach, councils can better manage workforce pressures, improve transparency and consistency, reduce competition for the same limited workforce, and support greater workforce stability across the region.
Securing the commitment of all 14 councils is a significant regional achievement, demonstrating collective responsibility for workforce sustainability while recognising the different needs and circumstances of individual authorities.
Working collectively
The Memorandum is underpinned by five core principles:
- collaboration and collective responsibility
- transparency and data-led insight
- compliance and accountability
- sustainability and long-term workforce stability
- equity and fairness across councils.
Councils work with WM ADASS and West Midlands Employers to monitor agency activity, analyse workforce trends, manage exceptions and share effective practice. A regional dashboard provides consistent data and insight, enabling councils to identify emerging workforce pressures and target support where it is most needed.
Progress to date
April 2025 marked the introduction of the MoC and in its first year, we are pleased to share that:
- Reduced reliance on agency workers across the region, with some agency staff successfully transitioning into permanent roles.
- Increased compliance with the agreed regional pay cap, strengthening consistency and cost control.
- Reduced regional expenditure on agency staffing during the first year of implementation.
- The region's Data Hub supports this work by providing consistent oversight, monitoring and reporting of workforce trends.
While the Memorandum delivers financial benefits, its primary purpose is to support a stable, skilled and sustainable adult social care workforce. By reducing unnecessary reliance on agency staffing, councils can strengthen continuity of care, improve workforce resilience and continue to provide safe, high-quality services for people across the West Midlands.
Next steps
The next phase of the work will build on the progress achieved to date by using shared data and learning to strengthen permanent recruitment and retention, address workforce pressures in specialist and regulated roles, and further improve the resilience and sustainability of the adult social care workforce across the West Midlands.