The care sector is under threat unless the Government acts immediately, Care England has warned. According to Skills for Care, the attrition rate for residential carers is over 31.5% and 40.6% for nurses, highlighting significantly low staff retention within the industry.
Care England warns that a multitude of factors will prevent workers from joining the care industry and in turn, this will have implications for the NHS. Many care companies cannot afford to compete with the NHS or retail who can pay higher wages.
The Unfair to Care report published by Community Integrated Care in July 2021 reported that social care workers are being undervalued by nearly £7,000 per year compared to their peers working in the NHS and other public-funded sectors. Care England is calling for an increase in pay in the sector to improve social care recruitment and retention, circa £5 per hour.
