Social care sector is struggling to recruit

CARE England, the largest and most diverse representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has polled its members to ascertain the most pertinent workforce pressures facing the adult social care sector.

This is the second Workforce Sense Check Survey we have run this quarter in order to understand which workforce issues still persist within the adult social care sector.

Both surveys demonstrate an overwhelming majority of members – over 95 per cent – are struggling to recruit and retain staff.

When asked in the first survey if members were struggling to recruit staff, prior to the implementation of vaccination as a condition of deployment, 100 per cent of responses indicated that they were.

The second survey indicated a less than 5 per cent reduction in this struggle despite the introduction of a greater degree of centralised support, including £300 million to help providers recruit and retain staff.

The second survey indicated that the reasons for difficulties around staff recruitment included:

■ Lack of available workforce for providers to recruit from;

■ Negative press around the sector leading to a poor perception of social care;

■ Low rates of pay and no rewards or bonuses for care staff;

■ High competition with other sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which are able to offer higher pay rates;

■ Insufficient funding from government or local authorities to help recruitment into social care.

A stable social care sector is the bedrock of the NHS; it is however evident that the challenges in recruitment remain insurmountable.

As a critical friend to government we want to work with it to ensure that any available funds reach the frontline and don’t get caught up in a tangle of bureaucracy or siphoned off.

Our workforce is our best resource and we need to treasure it at all costs”.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive, Care England