Depleted workforce

More than 9 in 10 NHS leaders have warned of a social care workforce crisis in their area, which they expect to get worse this winter. Care homes have found it very difficult to attract and retain registered nurses. We have seen nurses moving to jobs with better pay and conditions in the NHS, and care homes that have had to stop providing nursing care.

In our workforce pressures survey, 36% of care home providers and 41% of homecare providers said that workforce challenges have had a negative impact on the service they deliver. Of the providers who reported workforce pressures having a negative impact, 87% of care home providers and 88% of homecare providers told us they were experiencing recruitment challenges. Over a quarter of care homes that reported workforce pressures told us they were actively not admitting any new residents.

Only 43% of NHS staff said they could meet all the conflicting demands on their time at work. Ambulance staff continue to report high levels of stress.

Source: Care Quality Commission State of Care Report 2022