8 Shocking Statistics Affecting UK Care Homes

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[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”2/3″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]There is no doubt that there are a lot of challenges facing the UK care home sector. In fact, there are so many issues facing it that it can be difficult to know what the Government needs to tackle first.

That said, sometimes the facts speak for themselves. Here are 10 statistics that need urgent attention.

1.6 million

This is the number of health and social care workers that we will need to attract and train up in the UK up to 2022 to replace those leaving the profession, according to analysis published by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

338,520

This was the number of adult social care workers that left their roles in 2015/16, according to data gathered by the charity Skills for Care. The fact that this equates to over 900 people a day leaving their jobs highlights just how difficult many employees are finding their experience of working in the care sector.

27%

In fact, when it comes to staff churn the care sector has an appalling record. That’s because, according to Skills for Care, the staff turnover rate in the care sector is 27% – almost twice the average rate for other UK professions.

60%

Whilst some care workers will clearly move to working for other care providers, 60% of those employed in adult social care left the sector for good in 2015/16. This is a huge migration that explains why we will need to train so many thousands of people just to maintain basic staffing levels.

11.4%

In 2015/16 the overall staff vacancy rate across the whole of the care sector was 6.8 per cent (up from 4.5 per cent in 2012/13), rising to 11.4 per cent for home care staff.

40%

According to a 2015 Financial Times report entitled “Care homes warn on living wage and nurse shortage”, around 40% of care sector employees were on the minimum wage. Clearly, this could be a major reason behind poor staff retention in the care sector. But there may well be other factors too, as highlighted in the following three statistics.

1 in 4

This was the number of care sector workers on zero hours contracts in 2015/2016, according to the charity Skills for Care. Clearly being in jobs where there is zero job security and where one’s livelihood can be terminated suddenly is a recipe for mass migration to other sectors.

1,200

Another stressor for people working with residents with certain types of dementia or aged-related behavioural issues is that some can become aggressive and assault staff.

As well as protecting themselves, there are also many instances where staff need to try and protect other residents. In fact, police recorded 1,200 assaults between residents living at care homes between 2014 and 2016, according to an investigation on File on 4.

Clearly, this is another area in need of attention, so that it doesn’t become yet another reason for carers to leave the sector.

UK Care Homes need urgent action

There is no doubt that our clear home sector is in crisis. It needs immediate action, not just to tackle today’s issues but also to create a sustainable solution for elderly care going forward.
People deserve to be so much more that statistics, and nobody more so than the amazing care workers that support our care home sector.

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