Perception and funding of care sector needs to change - James Rycroft

And yet, at Vida, we’ve proved that this isn’t the case. Our wage increase contributed to our staff turnover reducing to six per cent. This is below the national average of over 30 per cent and has positively impacted the level of care we’re able to provide.

The Government needs to be aware of successes like this so it understands why it’s never been so important for more funding to be given to the social care sector.

Staff want better pay, they want more flexible hours, and they want mental health support, but so many care providers aren’t in a position to provide this due to a lack of funding.

Staff are the lifeblood of every industry, particularly a caring one. Without the amazing people that come to work every day to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable people our staff retention rates will fall even further and the social care sector will crumble.

As a sector, we’re so regularly promised funding that is then taken away. Last week I wasn’t shocked to hear that the Government decided to hold back half of the £500m promised to help plug staff shortages but this decision was short sighted and couldn’t have been made at a worse time.

The sector is shrinking, and I believe that this is only a taste of what’s to come if the Government doesn’t fulfil its funding promises.

What this also highlights is the disparity between the importance placed on the NHS. While social care appears to be viewed as the NHS’ poorer relation, it’s our publicly funded health service that is seen as a vote winner by the Government and regularly referenced in policy changes and budget announcements. When will the £15bn a year social care sector be recognised for the significant economic driver that it is?

It’s often said that social care needs the NHS but it’s important to also emphasise that the NHS needs social care and they need to work better together.

The bed blocking crisis is just one example where the issues in our sector are impacting the NHS, to the tune of anywhere between £500m - £900m every year.

The NHS and social care are inextricably linked and until the public are aware of this, I fear that we won’t be able to fix the crises that are happening across both sectors.

While it’s important to raise awareness of the issues that are impacting social care, the news invariably paints the sector in a negative light.

From ongoing staff shortages, calls for better pay, and reports of neglect and bad care that so often come up in the press, we at Vida felt compelled to understand how social care workers across the country are feeling and we conducted our own research to see if the situation is as positive as our experiences or as bleak as the media is portraying.

What was surprising from our research is that actually, a significant proportion of the social care workforce see their future career in the sector and haven’t considered a career change. I shouldn’t be surprised but after years of negative news it can be easy to be shocked by a story that bucks the trend.

This negative portrayal of the sector was however reflected in the responses that we received when we asked if they’d consider a career in the sector. Many people wouldn’t due to perceptions of low wages, long hours, and no benefits.

Now is the time to act. Before we see even fewer people wanting to work in social care, and before the numbers of staff who are happy in their job decrease.

We’re very lucky to have a niche care offering that enables us to put in place numerous initiatives to support staff, but so many care operators aren’t in this position. As soon as this becomes a reality, it’ll be too late and it won’t be a prevention job, but a short term fix. A sticking plaster, some might say.

The longer that the Government waits to provide the funding and support that is so desperately needed by care homes and home care providers alike, the more operators will be forced to close due to haemorrhaging funds and staff.

We need to come together as a whole; the Government, public and the social care sector to understand how to fix our sector, and to flip the narrative to one that is positive and showcases the sector for what it can provide - mainly an aspirational career and an opportunity to make a difference.

James Rycroft is the managing director of Vida Healthcare.