Care leaders have expressed their disappointment after policies to address the recruitment and retention crisis in social care were left to the fringes of the Conservatives Party conference this week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed to include any policy announcements in his closing speech with policy debate on social care left to fringe meetings. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick highlighted government concern at “very high” care visa levels during one fringe debate.

Reacting to the sparce attention given to the sector, Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “It was disappointing. The prime minister did not mention social care in his speech, but even more disappointing was the fact that the secretary of state for health and social care gave it one line in his speech. I think this is an indicator of where social care stands in terms of government priorities.”

Nadra Ahmed, executive co-chairman of the National Care Association, said: “It was deeply disappointing to note the amnesia of senior politicians to lay out the direction of reform for social care. Whilst we hear a lot about investment in social care as a cornerstone for creating a sustainable NHS, we have been ignored in the forward plans once again.

“This comes at a time when we are trying to work with NHS colleagues to navigate through the winter pressure this year and create financial stability for the sector. Once again this feels very much like a deliberate omission as there is no appetite to invest in and transform care services for those who access and deliver it.

“Warm words are just not enough, we need to see the vision and implementation strategy to create a robust social care offer for our citizens. We cannot wait for another decade to see real reform and not just rhetoric.”

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group, said the absence of social care from the PM’s policy agenda was “laughable”.

“He talks on the one hand about being bold, about a government making long-term decisions and about being radical – but on the other hand he is blatantly ignoring a sector of society that has been crying out for bold, radical, long-term action for all of those 30 years,” Padgham said.

Rachael Dodgson, chief Executive at Dimensions, a not-for-profit support provider for people with learning disabilities and autism, said: “We are disappointed that policies to address the recruitment and retention crisis in social care were confined to the fringe events at the Conservative Party conference, with no reference to it in the prime minister’s speech. Government’s longstanding failure to prioritise social care cannot continue when demand for social care workers is at an all-time high.

“We are calling for improvements to the pay, terms, and conditions of the workforce. Social care workers are already seeking jobs in the NHS – where pay is better – and failure to reform will only exacerbate this.”

Dimensions has launched a petition calling on the government to benchmark minimum care worker pay with NHS Band 3 and provide the necessary funding for local authorities and social care providers. You can sign the petition here.