Comment


Staff issues push care sector to the brink


Editor


Tim Probert timprobert@stepcomms.com


Business Manager Michael Butcher michaelbutcher@stepcomms.com


Journal Administration


Katy Cockle katycockle@stepcomms.com Design


Steven Dillon Publisher


Geoff King geoffking@stepcomms.com


Publishing Director


Trevor Moon trevormoon@stepcomms.com


THE CARE HOME ENVIRONMENT is published monthly by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999 Email: info@thecarehomeenvironment.com Web: www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Welcome to the November issue of The Care Home Environment. In recent weeks, a plethora of care providers, member organisations and trades unions has piled pressure on the government to take action over a care staff recruitment and retention crisis. The phrase ‘perfect storm’ has become something of a cliché but it is hard to find a


more apt description of the staff challenges facing the industry this winter. Staff shortages are nothing new, of course, but a combination of wage inflation in


other industries, Brexit, mandatory vaccines and an NHS shortage of registered nurses has put the social care sector under additional strain at a critical time. The government had hoped pressure on social care staffing would ease as a result


of Brexit and Covid-related job destruction in the wider economy. That simply hasn’t happened. Data collected for Skills for Care’s State of the adult social care sector and workforce


in England report published last month showed the number of filled posts in care homes actually fell by 2.2 per cent in the six months between March and August 2021.


The government had hoped pressure on social care staffing would ease as a result of Brexit and Covid-related job destruction in the wider economy. That simply hasn’t happened


A decrease in jobs in the social care sector is highly unusual. Over the past several


years, jobs have consistently increased to keep up with the rising demand for care due to the aging population. The fall in filled posts coincides with an increasing vacancy rate. The Care Quality


Commission’s The state of health care and adult social care in England 2020/21 report published late last month (see story on page 9) found the vacancy rate rose from six per cent in April 2021 to 10.2 per cent in September. The government pre-empted the release of the report by launching a £162.5m


ISSN NO. 2398-3280


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workforce retention and recruitment fund to bolster the dedicated social care workforce. The ring-fenced funding, available until the end of March 2022, will support local authorities working with providers to recruit staff. It will also be available to help retain the existing workforce - through overtime


payments and staff banks of people ready to work in social care - and will provide further capacity to support their health and wellbeing through occupational health. While this and the government’s pledge to reform social care are welcome, there


is still no fully-funded workforce strategy to chart a path out of the staffing crisis. That cannot come soon enough. Enjoy the magazine.


Tim Probert • Editor timprobert@stepcomms.com


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November 2021 • www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


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