Norfolk social care backlog could take two years to clear
It's thought almost 1,000 vulnerable people in the county are not getting the help they need
A backlog of cases in adult social care is going to take two years to clear, the council officer responsible for the sector has warned.
James Bullion, executive director of adult social care (ASC), said that Covid and ongoing staffing issues had placed huge strains on the service offered by Norfolk County Council (NCC).
The problems facing the sector meant that early this year it emerged that almost 1,000 vulnerable people in Norfolk were not having their care needs met.
Mr Bullion told a recent County Hall meeting: “It could take us two years to tackle this backlog.
“We can’t underestimate the sheer impact of Covid and the number of ‘stacked needs’ that we now face with the same number of staff that we’ve had before.”
Labour’s Brenda Jones said the sector was “permanently in a Game of Thrones – winter is always coming”, and raised fears that cost of living pressures could further add to the workload of the adult social care team.
A report to councillors acknowledged issues with “morale, sickness, turnover and vacancies” in the sector.
It said there have been some early signs of improvement but warned that “recovery remains fragile” with a system that remains under “intense pressure”.
Debbie Bartlett, an NCC officer, said the authority was hoping to retain staff through improved induction processes for new starters and more feedback sessions.
Mr Bullion added that the number of students entering the sector from social work courses was down, and that there was a need for a “national resurgence”.
The report acknowledges the wide-ranging financial implications of Covid-19, but it comes at a time when the council has set out the need to make massive cuts.
The authority needs to find £60m of savings in 2023/24, as part of efforts to plug a £116m gap by 2027, with job cuts “almost inevitable”.
And a report by officers says there is a “significant risk” that the council “will be obligated to consider reductions in service levels”.
How bad is the situation for Norfolk’s adult social care sector?
- There are 2,306 people on the ‘holding list’ – which means they remain unallocated to an individual social worker – down from 2,538 in February
- The average number of people on the holding list for social care community engagement has risen from 107 to 307 since February
- The number of people receiving care but waiting for a review has also increased from 4,703 to 4,773
- The number of people waiting for ‘deprivation of liberty’ checks rose from 2,675 to 2,822.
- A person is considered to have been deprived of liberty if they are unable to consent to their care and treatment arrangements, are under continuous supervision and control and are not free to leave. The council must check to make sure deprivation of liberty is in someone’s best interest.
Staffing is still in crisis
- Staff vacancies have increased from December, with the number of social worker vacancies hitting 23pc in March, up from 18pc
- The percentage of sickness related to mental health has also risen, from 35pc to 36pc
- Sickness absence in frontline teams has dropped from 8pc to 7.7pc
- Staff turnover remains high at 13.8pc