Nurses In Social Care: NCF Survey Findings
NCF workforce survey highlights significant challenges for employers of nursing staff in adult social care.
The recruitment and retention of nursing staff is clearly a significant issue for care providers. The National Care Forum Personnel Statistics survey report 2015 details the workforce of 60 organisations and over 64,000 employees. The survey this year includes detailed information on nursing in adult social care for organisations providing over 6,000 residential nursing care places and additional nursing support within homecare services.
There has been considerable attention directed at staffing levels in the NHS within the last 12 months and in turn this appears to have impacted on both recruitment and retention of nurses to the adult social care sector. Turnover of nursing staff in our survey ranged hugely – from zero to an astonishing 83%. These reasons given for nurses taking up employment elsewhere were particularly resonant across organisations:
“returning overseas”; “expectations very different from previous roles”; “other employers paying more”; “increase in NHS nursing opportunities”
Des Kelly OBE, Executive Director of the National Care Forum said:
“The shortage of nurses in social care settings threatens to undermine service development and greater integration. Recruitment is becoming more difficult and turnover rates are rising as social care providers seek to compete with the health sector. Our survey findings confirm what members have been reporting and the situation is becoming extremely concerning. If it is not addressed as a priority it will hamper the ability of social care services to support the NHS…”
He added:
“NCF will shortly publish a paper on the distinctive contribution of nurses in adult social care.”
The report includes further detailed information including staffing age groups, qualifications, turnover, leavers, sickness absence and agency use across all care services. This year’s report has already received a mention in a discussion at the House of Lords and will no doubt receive attention across the sector as the issues resonate more widely.
Download the NCF Personnel Statistics Report 2015
http://www.nationalcareforum.org.uk/personnel-statistics-survey.asp?menu_ID=53
