“We support Patricia Hewitt’s recommendation today for the government to produce an urgent strategy for the social care workforce to complement the imminent and desperately needed NHS workforce plan. Workforce plans for both health and social care need to consider the insight of recruiters who are told time and again by staff leaving substantive roles in the NHS that the key factors behind the workforce crisis are the lack of flexibility, staff burnout, working conditions and poor mental health. A more coherent and joined-up approach between the staffing industry, the NHS and the care sector is essential to delivering better patient care and efficiency.
“It’s not rocket science to know that without a well-resourced plan for overcoming the labour shortages in health and social care there will be little progress felt by those using these critical services.”
