Figures revealing the extent of the staffing crisis in the care sector should be ‘ringing alarm bells’ according to a North East representative group.

The Scarborough-based Independent Care Group (ICG) is warning of a dramatic rise in people not being able to get the care they need because of dire staff shortages in social care.

Latest figures from the annual Skills for Care report showed that the number of vacancies in social care had shot up by 52 per cent to 165,000 unfilled posts in 2021/22 – the largest annual increase since records began in 2012/13.

It also found that almost a third of the care workforce are aged over 55 so are likely to retire in the coming decade.

The ICG said the staff shortages would spark a huge rise in the number of people denied care.

A separate report, from the Health Foundation, reveals that even before the current cost of living crisis, one in five people working in residential care was living in poverty.

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ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “Here you have two reports that lay bare the crisis at the heart of delivering social care to older and vulnerable adults in this country.

“If, as a country, we value the profession of providing care and dignity to people who need it, then we need to address this right now.

“Report after report comes out and government after government does nothing.

“The last figures we had, from Age UK, suggested that around 1.6m people aged over 65 can’t get the care they need.

“I suspect that that figure will by now be nearer 2m or even more and with vacancies rising, the number of jobs falling and carers leaving the sector, that figure is going to rocket.

“The statistic that should ring the loudest alarm bells is the one about those aged 55 and over retiring from the workforce.

“The sector can’t afford to lose any staff, but particularly those with years of care experience under their belts.”

The Skills for Care annual report also found that wages could be a factor in people not choosing jobs in social care or quitting the sector for better paid work.

The analysis found that four out of every five jobs in the wider economy pay more than the median pay (£9.50) for care workers.

Mr Padgham said the government would blame providers for not paying staff enough but he believes this is wrong.

He said: “The simple fact is providers are paying the workforce as best they can in the teeth of a critical shortage of funding.

“Billions have been wiped off local authority social care budgets in the past decade and providers are being squeezed as a result.”

A government spokesman said: “We’re investing in adult social care and have made £500 million available to support discharge from hospital into the community and bolster the workforce this winter, on top of record funding to support our ten-year plan set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper.

“Tens of thousands of extra staff have also joined up since we added care workers to the Health and Care Worker Visa and the Shortage Occupation List.

“The Government is backing recruitment at home and abroad – with a £15 million international recruitment fund and a new domestic campaign launching shortly.”

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