Nearly 1,000 adult social care workers quit their jobs every day, report says

More than 900 adult social care workers a day left their jobs in England last year, according to a new study.

Around 60% of those who quit their jobs left the adult social care profession altogether, and the sector experienced an estimated shortage of more than 84,000 care workers.

Data gathered by charity Skills for Care and analysed by the BBC showed there were more than 1.3 million people employed in adult social care in 2015/16.

An estimated 338,520 of them left their roles – equivalent to 928 carers quitting every day.

The data showed job turnover in the sector ran at 27%, nearly twice the national average, something the charity said would be a big financial burden for organisations and a major factor in users’ experiences.

The Government said demand for jobs in social care has increased and it will invest £2 billion in the sector over the next three years.

Data on the number of people joining the social care workforce was not published.

The analysis found the average wage for a full-time frontline care worker was £7.69 an hour, the equivalent of £14,800 a year, while a quarter of social care workers were on zero hours contracts.

A House of Lords committee recently urged ministers to review the pay policy for NHS staff and the impact it has on workforce morale.

Peers said they had heard of “low levels of morale and significant staff retention problems” where prolonged pay restraint was “clearly a relevant factor”.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Social care jobs have increased at an average of 3% a year since 2010 but we want to see improvements in turnover rates, with talented staff attracted to a robust sector backed by an additional £2 billion over the next three years.

“Meanwhile, we’re investing in the workforce of the future, with a total of 87,800 apprentices starting last year – up 37,300 compared to 2010.”

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