This is a trend which has been going on for a few years. We saw a 12% increase in concerns being referred to us between 2022-23 and 2023-24, and a further 5% rise in 2024-25.
However, referrals in the period from 1 April 2025 suggest that we will see a further 13% increase during this financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026). Referrals for each of the five months from April were all higher than the monthly average for 2024-25.
Rises at other regulators
It’s not just the SSSC which is seeing this trend as several other regulators have reported similar increases. The Nursing and Midwifery Council received over 700 more concerns in 2024-25 than in the previous year, up to 6,539. Social Work England received 23% more triage referrals than it expected since December.
Despite the rising trend it is still the case that only a very small number of our registrants have fitness to practise cases open – just 1.1% at the end of August. However, we know that, where someone does have a case open with us, it can be a worrying and stressful time for them.
Closing cases
Despite these higher referral rates, we’re pleased that case closures are also on an upward trend. In three of the last four months, we have closed over 400 cases – the first time we have seen sustained closures above that benchmark. We’re also taking less time to conclude cases where we have opened investigation, with a current average of 12.7 months, down from 19.3 last September.
Further steps
While these trends are positive, we’re taking further steps to address the increase in referrals we are seeing. We are trying to identify the reasons behind the increase, although as noted above, it is not just the SSSC which is affected. We’ll do more to clarify what matters do and don’t need to be referred to us. We’re also recruiting new staff to increase our capacity to deal with increased numbers of concerns.
So, while this rise in referrals presents a challenge, it is one which we are working to meet to help ensure public protection.
