Care worker numbers fall in England, leaving more people without support
October 11, 2022, 11:00 am

Care worker numbers fall in England, leaving more people without support - Photo. Pixabay

New figures reveal that the number of care workers in England has fallen for the first time, leaving more people without the support they need, the BBC reported.

According to industry body, Skills for Care, unfilled care jobs rose by 52% in a year, the fastest rate on record.

The latest annual Skills for Care workforce analysis found in the year to March there were a total of 1.79 million posts in adult social care.

Of these 1.62 million were filled, leaving 165,000 vacant - a rise of 52% on the previous year.

The number of filled posts fell by 50,000 compared with the previous year - the first drop ever.

The fall is due to problems with recruiting and retaining staff - but, at the same time, the demand for care has risen, says the report.

It warns the shortage of care workers will increasingly affect people who need support, and their families.

The fall in the number of care workers in England is due to problems with recruiting and retaining staff - but, at the same time, the demand for care has risen - Photo. Pixabay

The report warns experiences like this will become more common as the population ages, and employers will need to fill about 480,000 more posts by 2035.

On top of that, more than a quarter (28%) of the existing workforce are aged over 55 and likely to retire within 10 years.

Study reveals inequalities in treatment between rich, poor in Britain's health care system

In addition to that, four out of five jobs in the wider economy pay more than the median pay for care workers.

The report says, the average care worker gets £1 an hour less than a newly hired NHS healthcare assistant

Care workers with five years experience get just 7p an hour more than new recruits, it adds.

Separate research from the Health Foundation charity, also published on Tuesday (Oct 11), found one in five residential care workers in the UK were already living in poverty before the cost-of-living crisis, compared with one in eight of all workers.

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