Home care in North Tyneside is "at a point of crisis", according to a council report.
The local authority's cabinet was told that while care work is skilled and challenging, it is “low paid and undervalued and lacks an obvious career path to higher level roles” making care roles unattractive in the job market.
An overview and scrutiny report said there were "significant concerns about the current situation" which appears to "be at a point of crisis".
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The report added: “Providers are not able to meet the current level of demand for care and the number of people...waiting for care packages has doubled from pre-pandemic levels.”
There was initially a dip in residents in North Tyneside requesting home care packages during the pandemic as people sought to reduce social contact. Around 170 people are now on the waiting list.
Another major challenges to home care provision, according to the report, is the recruitment and retention of staff.
Some home care providers informed the authors of the report that they received no responses at all to their job advertisements. Delays in issuing DBS checks are also leading to successful applicants finding other jobs while they wait.
Although a fast track service is available, this is not ideal as home care workers often work unsupervised in potentially vulnerable people’s homes.
The report also acknowledged the waiting lists are creating additional pressures on unpaid carers. It stated: “Many unpaid carers have taken on more responsibilities during the pandemic and are struggling to get help now they need it.”
Coun Anthony McMullen, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Cabinet received recommendations made by the Home Care Study Group at our most recent Cabinet Meeting, following an in-depth review of Home Care in the Borough on behalf of the Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Sub-committee.
"Recommendations include further reviews into the commissioning process, providing further support for recruitment, retention and training, support for those in receipt of home care and support for carers.
"We are expected to receive a further report in June which will set out what actions cabinet propose to take to North Tyneside's home care service."
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