Care Workforce Crisis

Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, continues to challenge the Government for more support for the workforce crisis in the adult social care sector.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“Quite simply care providers are at breaking point.  The writing is on the wall and without immediate help, as given to the NHS, the social care sector will crumple and not be there to support the NHS over the winter let alone in years to come”.

Care England wrote to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care last month outlining the very real workforce issues that persist in the sector and what practical steps could be taken to remedy them.  Members of Care England have been encouraged to share their practical solutions to aid recruitment and retention in an attempt to share best practice and a last-ditch attempt to save the sector. We encourage the Government to take these suggestions on board and implement them as soon as possible including:

• Expanding the workforce by recruiting from abroad. The sector will need an additional 35,000 to 70,000 workers following the Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment. Reducing the qualifying level for overseas recruitment for social care staff (¬£25,600). Also, adding all care workers to the Shortage Occupation List and reducing the salary threshold for immigration
• Waiving the Immigration Skills Charge for care workers
• Fast-track system to grant visas under sponsorship licenses for people working in social care
• Bonuses/increase pay
• Direct support to help fund those suffering from PTSD
• The need for the continuation of COVID funds.

Martin Green continues:

“We have done an enormous amount of work on what could and should be done to help the adult social care workforce and hope that we can look to the Government for support”.

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. Care England is the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care
2. For Care England press enquiries related to this release, please contact Antonella Corby (020) 7492 4843 or email acorby@careengland.org.uk
3. @CareEngland & @CareEngDigital  #wecareforengland