The National Care Forum [NCF] has called for “urgent action” after last week’s publication of an NHS Confederation survey warned of a social care workforce crisis which is only set to intensify over the coming winter and cause ripple effects across the industry.
The survey, published on July 28, 2022, uncovered that over nine in 10 NHS leaders acknowledged the social care staffing crisis and expected it to worsen, while almost all NHS leaders reported that the lack of capacity in social care was posing a risk to the care and safety of patients.
More than four in five NHS leaders highlighted the absence of care packages packages for people to be able to return home or be moved into a care home as the main reason why medically fit patients remain bed-bound in hospital for lengthier periods of time than they should.
In the survey, almost all NHS leaders suggested that the most impactful solution would be to implement better remuneration for social care staff and have called on the government to increase its investment into the social care sector as an immediate priority.
Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the NCF, the leading association for not-for-profit care and support providers, said that the survey’s conclusion was “clear” in that low social care capacity is causing knock-on effects across health and social care and that “urgent action” is needed to address the matter.
Professor Rayner said: “This survey of NHS leaders comes on top of two Health and Social Care Select Committee reports this week and confirmation of 165,000 vacancies in the adult social care sector by Skills for Care last week.
“The resoundingly stark message from both healthcare and social care leaders is that urgent action is needed now. This survey is clear – the lack of social care capacity is causing huge pressures across the healthcare system and having a very real human impact on people, their families and the entire health and care workforce.
“When healthcare and social care leaders stand side by side to urge the government to increase investment in care services and boost wages for care workers, then it really is time to listen.
“Alongside urgent action on pay, terms and conditions, there is also an urgent need to create a dedicated and fully funded social care workforce plan to enable a long-term approach to workforce development, recruitment and retention, to meet significant demographic change.”
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