While many people working in care find it rewarding, there is widespread agreement that workers feel undervalued. There are limited opportunities for career progression, particularly compared with similar roles in healthcare. In 2016-17, around half of care workers were paid £7.50 per hour or below (the National Living Wage which is £7.20 in 2016-17), equivalent to £14,625 annually. This, along with tough working conditions, prevents workers from joining and remaining in the sector.
The vacancy rate in 2016-17 for jobs across social care was 6.6%, which was well above the national average of 2.5%-2.7%.
There are around 1.34 million jobs in the adult social care sector in England, across more than 20,300 organisations. The turnover rate of care staff has been increasing since 2012-13 and in 2016-17 reached 27.8%. The vacancy rate in 2016-17 for jobs across social care was 6.6%, which was well above the national average of 2.5%-2.7%.
However, demographic trends suggest that demand for care will continue to increase and people’s care needs will continue to become more complex. To meet these challenges, the Department estimates that the workforce will need to grow by 2.6% every year until 2035.
The social care market is operating in challenging circumstances. Care providers, already under financial pressures, are struggling to recruit, retain workers and are consequentially incurring additional costs as a result. Local authorities spent 5.3% less on care in 2016-17 compared with 2010-11, and spending is expected to reduce further over the next two years due to continued government funding cuts and increased financial pressures on local authorities. Uncertainty over funding is limiting local authorities’ ability to plan future spending on care.
The Department cannot demonstrate that the sector is sustainably funded, which impacts workforce planning. Around 65% of independent providers’ income comes from local authority-arranged care. The vast majority of local authorities are paying fees to homecare providers that are below the recommended minimum price for care, putting providers in financial difficulties. Furthermore, local authorities are not paying the full cost for care home placements. If this continues, there is a risk providers will not continue to invest in areas where there are high proportions of people receiving local authority funded care.
The Department has no national strategy to address this workforce challenge and key commitments it has made to help make the sector more attractive, through enhanced training and career development, have not been followed through.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineLow pay and workload causing adult social care staff shortage
Short HeadlineShortage of nurses and other key staff in the care sector
Standfirst
While many people working in care find it rewarding, there is widespread agreement that workers feel undervalued. There are limited opportunities for career progression, particularly compared with similar roles in healthcare. In 2016-17, around half of care workers were paid £7.50 per hour or below (the National Living Wage which is £7.20 in 2016-17), equivalent to £14,625 annually. This, along with tough working conditions, prevents workers from joining and remaining in the sector.
The vacancy rate in 2016-17 for jobs across social care was 6.6%, which was well above the national average of 2.5%-2.7%.
There are around 1.34 million jobs in the adult social care sector in England, across more than 20,300 organisations. The turnover rate of care staff has been increasing since 2012-13 and in 2016-17 reached 27.8%. The vacancy rate in 2016-17 for jobs across social care was 6.6%, which was well above the national average of 2.5%-2.7%.
However, demographic trends suggest that demand for care will continue to increase and people’s care needs will continue to become more complex. To meet these challenges, the Department estimates that the workforce will need to grow by 2.6% every year until 2035.
The social care market is operating in challenging circumstances. Care providers, already under financial pressures, are struggling to recruit, retain workers and are consequentially incurring additional costs as a result. Local authorities spent 5.3% less on care in 2016-17 compared with 2010-11, and spending is expected to reduce further over the next two years due to continued government funding cuts and increased financial pressures on local authorities. Uncertainty over funding is limiting local authorities’ ability to plan future spending on care.
The Department cannot demonstrate that the sector is sustainably funded, which impacts workforce planning. Around 65% of independent providers’ income comes from local authority-arranged care. The vast majority of local authorities are paying fees to homecare providers that are below the recommended minimum price for care, putting providers in financial difficulties. Furthermore, local authorities are not paying the full cost for care home placements. If this continues, there is a risk providers will not continue to invest in areas where there are high proportions of people receiving local authority funded care.
The Department has no national strategy to address this workforce challenge and key commitments it has made to help make the sector more attractive, through enhanced training and career development, have not been followed through.
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