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There was a hollow laugh last week when the Observer a social services official asked about the crisis in the area. “Crisis? Which one?”
Recruitment is one of them. The sector employs around 1.5 million people, but the number of vacancies is around 120,000 and continues to grow. This leads to crisis number two, the unmet need.
Waiting lists have increased to 300,000 people, an increase of 26% in three months, according to the Association of Directors of Social Services for Adults. About 11,000 people have been waiting for more than six months for local authorities to assess their needs.
Each statistic alludes to human misery. Fiona Tierney’s mother Sonia, 84, who lives in a village in Gloucestershire, has needed personal care for three years.
“We found a wonderful skincare company that went out two hours a day,” Tierney said. “But they were from Cheltenham, a 45-minute drive away. Six months ago, they said they were incredibly sorry, but they just didn’t have the staff to help her on a day-to-day basis.
Since then, Tierney and her sister have struggled to find care for their mother. “We had to call over 20 care companies,” she said. Some providers have stepped in to offer temporary emergency help – “the owner of a business has gone out several times because he couldn’t find anyone” – and for the past six weeks they have had caregivers. “My mom is terrified that this will happen again. If that happens, we’ll have to get back to the top of the list. There is no one else to ask.
The NHS is also affected. Last week, Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital declared an operational emergency, calling for help from providers as it was unable to discharge patients due to a shortage of healthcare workers.
Eddy McDowall, chief executive of the Oxfordshire Association of Care Providers, said members were experiencing their worst recruitment crisis in 10 years. “The worry is that it’s only mid-September. The peak occurs just after Christmas, when families have elderly and frail relatives to stay and when they return home, there is a resurgence of the disease. “
For those working in care, staff shortages mean they have more to do and less time to do it.
“The social workforce is completely collapsing,” said Charles Armitage, co-founder of Florence, an online recruiting platform that helps caregivers close gaps in turnover. . “They kept him together during the pandemic, but over the past six to eight weeks managers have been trying to fill more and more shifts. “
Florence works with around 5% of UK contractors and until May most were able to fill around 75% of their shifts. This dropped to just 40% over the summer. Armitage said the pingemia, Brexit and the school holidays have all had an effect. “We see a lot of social workers going into hospitality or retail – receiving membership bonuses. We have yet to see the impact of mandatory vaccinations, but for the record, we hear people leaving social services to work in the NHS. “
Elly Stroe has been a senior care nurse for the past five years. “I’m really scared of the future,” she said. “Every shift we are two or three people short and we are struggling to find nurses and caregivers all the time. Every night there are different people at work and it is very difficult for the residents to see new faces every day.
While many caregivers are dedicated, Stroe said the low wages meant some were unmotivated. “Some don’t show up on time or answer their phones,” she said. “They know they can’t be replaced easily. I know a lot of people who do two jobs – they work nights with me, that during the day they deliver pizza or drive for Amazon. They are not doing the job as a long term career but to save money to help them with their studies. Caring is hard work and people need training.
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