Lack of prestige fuels staffing crisis as nurses quit care homes

FEARS have been raised over the pressures on the care system as the National Audit Office warned that funding and staffing levels were not sustainable.

The public spending watchdog said in a report that the lack of prestige associated with working in care, poor career progression and low pay meant the sector struggled to retain staff.

It said that the vacancy rate for registered nurses in care had more than doubled from 4.1 per cent in 2012-13 to nine per cent in 2016-17, even as the total number of jobs dropped from 51,000 to 43,000 over the same period.

Nurses in the care sector earn on average £27,900 a year, more than £3,000 less than the average pay for a registered nurse working in the NHS.

The NAO said the Government had failed to demonstrate that the sector was sustainably funded and had not followed through on commitments to make working in care more attractive.

It also warned that a shortage of beds would put pressure on the NHS, and that lack of certainly over the £2billion allocated to the sector in last year’s Budget was preventing proper staff planning.

Sir Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “The department needs to respond quickly to this challenge by giving the sector the attention it deserves and needs, instead of falling short and not delivering value for money.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We’ve provided an extra £2billion funding to the sector and this week announced a further £150million for next year – in the summer we will outline plans to reform social care to ensure it is sustainable for the future.”