
England care staff shortage puts thousands at risk
pharmafile | October 20, 2021 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â Â
Managers of community care services for over 15,000 people in England say that staff shortages have led to them turning down new clients, according to the BBC.
Care providers are currently facing problems with recruiting and retaining staff, due to the aftermath of the pandemic and higher pay rates being offered elsewhere. Many existing staff also quit their jobs due to increased workload.
Health bosses have said that the care shortage meant that more patients deemed fit to go home were stuck in hospital. This has led to a reduction in the number of beds available for new patients.
Researchers for National Care Forum (NCF) estimate that care homes have turned down nearly 5,000 requests for help in the past six weeks.
In a statement from last week, a Department of Health and Social Care official has said that the government is providing at least £500 million to care providers, as part of the £5.4 billion to reform social care. “We are also working to ensure we have the right number of staff with the skills to deliver high quality care to meet increasing demands,” said the statement.
Despite this promise of extra funding for the training and recruitment of new care workers, this is at odds with newly introduced vaccine rules, particularly the ‘no jab, no job’ policy. This rule does not apply to NHS staff, but private care workers who decline the vaccine or are not illegible for it could face redundancy.
Lina Adams






