Care Group Calls For Urgent Action On Workforce Crisis

A social care group today called for urgent action after a top-level report exposed serious shortcomings in the social care workforce.
A damning report from the National Audit Office said social care posts were not being filled, rates of pay amongst the workforce were too low and there was a lack of workforce strategy from the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Independent Care Group, which represents social care providers, today welcomed the report and called for urgent action to address its findings.
Chair Mike Padgham said: “Here we have yet further evidence that the care of our oldest and most vulnerable people is crumbling before our eyes, through a lack of investment and proper direction.

“Staff are the glue that holds social care together and today’s welcome report exposes a sector that is under-staffed and therefore under-equipped to cope with rising demand for vital care across the country.

“We must, as a matter of urgency, put measures in place to create a properly-funded, professional and motivated social care workforce to look after people currently receiving care and the 1.2m that we know are going without the care they need.

“I fully support the National Audit Office’s call for the Department of Health and Social Care to properly fund social care and come up with a robust national workforce strategy. And I would add that this needs to be done now, not wait until we have gone through the process of another Green Paper.

“This latest report shouldn’t come as a surprise as everyone in social care has been warning of this crisis for decades. How many more of these numerous reports can the Government keep ignoring before we get a response? We don’t need any further reports or investigations to show us that what is needed now is action, not words.”