Care providers in Dorset facing 'retention crisis' as staff leave to work at supermarkets
"I can’t pay a support worker more than £12.41 an hour," says the managing director of Care Dorset
A Dorset care provider says the sector is facing a “retention crisis” as one in four workers leave the profession every year.
More and more care workers are apparently choosing to work in supermarkets for similar pay but less stress.
Chris Best, managing director of Care Dorset, told us: “Social care isn't seen as a career, it's seen as a sort of stopgap and I think supermarkets have been much better at developing those career pathways.
“Lots of adult social care providers rely on local authority funding and that has diminished over the last decade which impacts the rate of pay we can offer employees.
“It’s different for supermarkets though who are able to adjust their wage bill and afford to pay those uplifts in salary.”
Care Dorset has 23 sites across the county and supports nearly 900 people with their reablement needs and supported living.
According to Mr Best, the future of the industry is in trouble as social care becomes less appealing for staff and the workforce ages.
He said: “The situation is only going to get worse as we struggle to introduce young people into the sector and the demand for our services increases due to our ageing population.”
There are fears that if care services continue to struggle, some of the burden will fall onto 999 response, A&E and families.
“We need to attract a younger demographic by making it something people see as a career and not just a job,” Mr Best said.
“At Care Dorset, we've introduced rolling rotas to ensure there’s greater predictability in working patterns and we’re trying to accommodate to flexible working requirements.”
However, employment unions are calling for a not-for-profit national care service, funded by central government, and for chief executives to take pay cuts for staff.