Meet the Yorkshire care workers on the frontline as social care recruitment crisis deepens

Some 17 people currently call Alba Rose - set in the old Keld Head Hall on the outskirts of the town - home. Virtually all have some form of dementia. It’s one of six care homes owned by the St Cecilia’s Care Group, which employs 250 staff across North Yorkshire.

The care given to those living at the home is evident from the signs on each resident’s door denoting their interests - fishing, music, reading - to the photographs of loved ones carefully placed on the walls.

But as well as the cosy additions that make this social care setting more homely, there is evidence too of the vulnerability of many residents.

A crash mat is propped up on the wall of one bedroom for one resident prone to falls, while another room has a sensor on the door to detect if a resident with dementia has wandered out.

They are reminders that for the staff here, great responsibility lies in their caring hands. For family members, trusting the people who provide the day-to-day care for their loved one is one of the only things that makes a heartbreaking decision to move a relative into full time care easier to bear.

But Alba Rose, like many other social care settings across Yorkshire, is struggling amid a nationwide recruitment crisis.

Wages in the sector are notoriously low and usually set according to how many places are council-funded - and the physical and emotional toll is far higher for most than working in retail or hospitality. Management and owners at Alba Rose are well aware there is an issue in attracting people to the sector.

The home’s manager Tanya Wormald, 32, said: “We’re struggling with staffing levels and recruiting - we have three positions available at the moment which we’re trying to recruit into.

“It impacts on the home and residents, we do the best we can to ensure their needs are met. I’m very lucky I’ve got such a dedicated and caring team, we all muck in and help each other.

“When you compare what our staff get paid compared to a retailer or supermarket… people have a perception that someone is ‘just a carer’, but they need passion, people skills, training to enhance people’s lives.

“We’ve still got a business to run, and you can feel like your hands are tied, it’s an awful feeling. I’d love to be able to pay above and beyond for the staff we have.”

For Alba Rose staff member Leona McInally, 26, care is a calling. “It’s a lot more stretched. People are coming into services with higher needs. When someone new comes in, you’d love to be able to sit with them and get to know them - we do try - but sometimes it’s a case of doing that as you go.

“People who work in care either stay or go. I love this environment so much, even though we’re under pressure. Once you’re here, you see the difference you make. Yes, it’s fast and it’s hard, but the reward is second to none.

“When you take into account the demands of this job to care for someone, there’s a lot more that goes into it than your regular retail job - and that’s what puts people off coming in.”

Of particular importance to Ms McInally is the care she gives to residents reaching end of life. “We’re here in people’s last moments. We’re providing people with a comfortable death. We make it pain-free and a lot of work goes into that. When you step away from a death, you’re so grateful for your team. That gives job satisfaction - that someone passed in the way they wanted to.”