More than 40,000 social care staff left the sector in the six months to the end of October, according to analysis by the Nuffield Trust.
Adjusting for the fact that the number of providers submitting workforce figures to the Department of Health and Social Care changes, this number could be as high as 50,000 to 70,000, the independent health think tank argues – equating to 3% to 4% of the adult social care workforce.
This tallies with previous evidence suggesting the vacancy rate in social care had increased by half, from 6% in April to 9% in October.
Homecare providers have been acutely affected by the fall in staff, losing 11,000 workers over the same period. Again, this could be higher due to not all providers submitting data, the Trust said.
Earlier this week, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services also estimated that 1.5 million hours of home care could not be delivered between August and October this year due to lack of staff.
Social care
Health and social care levy introduced
Mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for health and social care staff introduced
One of the factors in the plummeting workforce figures is the mandatory requirement for staff in adult care settings to be double vaccinated against Covid-19 – deadline to have received both jabs was 11 November.
Earlier analysis by the Nuffield Trust found that by the end of October, around 11% of that workforce had not received their second dose, with non-vaccination rates even higher among agency staff.
In September, the government announced plans to increase funding for health and social care between 2022 and 2025, to be funded by a new Health and Social Care levy.
Nuffield Trust’s Camille Oung, commenting on the statistics, said additional funding would be essential “if providers are to be paid sufficient costs to stay afloat and the sector is to survive the winter”.
The government has pledged a £162.5 million workforce recruitment and retention fund for adult social care, but the think tank suggests this could go further, offering incentives such as subsidising access to drivers’ licences for care home workers or more competitive retention bonuses.
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“There is now an urgent need to shore up these foundations to prevent the further crumbling of the system this winter, and ensure that people are not left without a vital service that supports them to live well and independently,” Oung added.
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