Staff shortage forces 23 out of care home
Frail residents moved as national shortfall gets worse
A CARE home was forced to move its frailest residents after being struck by the social care staffing crisis gripping the country.
Bosses at St Catherine’s Care Home had just days to relocate 23 elderly people after they failed to replace lost staff.
Shortages are blighting homes with 120,000 vacancies in social care. Another 42,000 unvaccinated care workers are set to leave next month under the Government’s Covid-19 ‘no jab, no job’ rule – as this newspaper warned last week.
Providers say their services are being crippled as worn-out workers find better pay and less stress in retail and hospitality jobs.
Managers at St Catherine’s Care Home, in Shipton near York, said they rang 40 agencies seeking temporary nurses.
Operations director Susan Mckinney said: “In 25 years this is the worst I’ve seen staffing.
“There are dedicated, talented carers leaving, who have worked in this industry for a long time.
“They just can’t do it anymore and there are other, easier options – they can take up a job with no real pressure for, if not the same money, more money. The root cause of the problem is social care is low paid for a very responsible position.”
Staff turnover across the sector is estimated to be running at 30% a year and rising.
Meanwhile waiting lists for care have hit 300,000 people – an increase of 26% in three months.
And experts predict up to 627,000 extra social care staff, a 53% jump, will be needed by 2030 to meet demand.
Desperate care providers are offering bonuses but “can’t compete with Amazon or supermarkets,” one care boss admitted.
Barrock Court Care Home, near Carlisle, shut this month after failing to recruit new staff.
Advinia, which runs the 28-bed home, had tried to offer sweeteners to retain and hire people.
Helen Wildbore, director of the Relatives & Residents Association, said: “We need an urgent plan from the Government to ensure people in vulnerable situations live with dignity.”
Julia Jones, co-founder of dementia charity John’s Campaign, said short-staffed homes were being forced to leave residents in bed and had axed activities.
She said: “This tends to mean no visits at weekends, which are too often the loneliest.”
Former pensions minister Ros Altmann will tomorrow tell the House of Lords the sector is “edging closer to disaster”.
Last week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told care home staff: “If you cannot be bothered to go and get vaccinated, then get out and go and get another job.”
But Baroness Altmann is set to question how the shortfall will be made up. “Care workers aren’t lying around somewhere at the back of a closet,” she said.
The Department of Health said: “We are providing at least £500million to support the care workforce as part of the £5.4billion to reform social care. We are also working to ensure we have the right number of staff.”
feedback@people.co.uk