News


Care services propped up by “goodwill trap” amid workforce crisis – report


High-quality care depends on the professionalism and ‘goodwill’ of the workforce rather than sustainable by design, a new report has warned. Providers are heavily reliant on overtime,


the use of agency staff and ‘workarounds’ such as managers stepping in to cover shifts to maintain continuity of care, according to the Sona and Care England report. Nearly half of care provider respondents


(49 per cent) surveyed for the report said they are short-staffed at least some of the time, leading to over half (54 per cent) being ‘forced to adopt overtime as their primary operating model., the report said. The report is based on a survey of 318 care


staff including frontline care and support staff, team leaders, managers, senior operational leaders and executive-level roles, and in depth qualitative interviews with senior leaders at all types of care provider organisation from services for older people to learning disability and mental health facilities. It also found that eight in ten staff say they


are slowed down by reliance on manual or workaround processes, and tech adoption is more likely to be held back by constrained funding and a lack of integration with other services than staff resistance. The new analysis is released against a


backdrop of an ongoing recruitment crisis that has left the sector with a 7 per cent vacancy rate – three times the overall UK average of 2.3 per cent. Sona vice president Paul Watson said the


report “shows a sector being held together by incredible people, but the infrastructure needs to catch up,” as it’s “clear that resilience is currently carried by individuals rather than systems.” Speaking at a seminar held to discuss


the findings, Mr Watson said: “The path to genuine resilience lies in shifting from reactive ‘firefighting’ to proactive design, with digital maturity identified as the strongest controllable force for stability. “By moving away from manual processes,


providers can gain the visibility needed to identify staffing gaps days in advance” he added. Also speaking at the same event, Care


England social care advisor Richard Ayres added: “Providers are continuing to deliver high-quality care, but they are often absorbing the gap between commissioned funding and actual delivery costs. “We must shift from simply coping with


pressure to designing resilience into how services operate.”


Private equity- backed Fortava adds over 200 care beds


Dementia and complex care specialist provider Fortava has acquired three Nottinghamshire homes, taking its total to five since it launched with the acquisition of two 50-bed Peterborough facilities last year. Two of the homes – 60-bed Long Eaton View and 79-bed Stapleford View - have not yet been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), while 83-bed Wilton View facility received an outstanding CQC rating last year.


Fortava founders, care specialist


Johann van Zyl and healthcare finance expert Jamie Stuart, said in a statement that the firm’s approach is ‘rooted in cognitive stimulation therapy - a research-based method of treatment and care aimed at improving well-being and potentially slowing the progression of dementia’. The firm is backed by private equity company Downing, which said in a statement that the newly acquired Nottingham homes ‘are modern, purpose-built homes designed to support residents with complex dementia needs’.


It added these will be ‘integrated into Fortava’s operating model focusing on therapeutic environments, advanced workforce training, and clinically informed cognitive stimulation programmes.


Welltower permitted to transfer and dispose of HC-One care homes It added that Welltower has sought to


The Competition and Markets Authority has given US elderly care housing giant Welltower permission to transfer the running of a proportion of the HC-One care homes it is set to take over into third-party hands and dispose of a further facility. The CMA said in a statement that the


permission to transfer the HC-One homes to a new undisclosed operator had been granted as it ‘understands’ it was needed to ‘ensure’ care is ‘improved for the benefit of residents.’ The names, number of homes involved


and the identity of the new operator has not been revealed. although the statement said the latter is ‘a new entrant to Great Britain.’


dispose of another unnamed HC-One- operated home due to the landlord wanting to appoint a different operator. The move follows a request by Welltower


to the CMA, according to the watchdog’s statement. Its official inquiry looking into the US giant’s proposed takeover of over 600 active care homes managed by Barchester, HC-One, Aria Care (including Asprey) and Danforth Care, and a further undisclosed number of care homes with planning permission launched in March. Welltower is a US property management firm, valued at $145.9bn (£108.38bn), which


10 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com May 2026


focuses on ‘rental housing for ageing seniors in the US, UK and Canada’. The CMA has said its decision is currently


set to be issued by 8 May, although it added this could be extended.


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