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Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responded to Skills for Care’s annual report on the state of the adult social care sector and workforce, which says there is the equivalent of 105,000 vacancies in social care being advertised on an average day 

“Our incredible social care staff have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide vital care and support to millions of people, especially during the pandemic and despite facing immense challenges.

“This latest report confirms what has been a worrying trend for some years, of persistently high staff turnover and vacancy rates in social care, adding further pressures onto already overstretched services.

“It is the most striking evidence yet that social care still faces a huge recruitment and retention crisis and that we urgently need to see action on staff pay, conditions, skills and training. The report also confirms that providers who can invest in their workforce produce better care outcomes, but we also need to see greater progress on equality and diversity.

“The Government’s social care plan is a potential first step towards tackling some of the issues facing the workforce. The Spending Review and forthcoming white paper must also set out how immediate and short-term pressures in social care will be addressed, including on the workforce and involving councils, care workers and those with lived experience, if we are to build back better and develop a care and support system fit for the future.”

The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England