More than a third of care home managers are considering leaving the sector after working through the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by workforce management technology provider Florence.
The poll of 113 UK care home managers found 35 per cent are ‘considering leaving care and looking to career change’ after what one described as “the most horrific, traumatising situation I have ever been in”.
Florence said the toll of a year working on the pandemic front-line is revealed by 50 per cent of respondents reporting they are ‘overwhelmed and overworked’, 18 per cent ‘completely burnt out’, and 63 per cent saying they have had inadequate mental health support at work.
Some 51 per cent said they spend ten or more hours more a week on Covid-related tasks on top of daily work.
These include running weekly testing of all staff and residents, managing safe virtual and in-person visitation for residents, and juggling the staff rota through sickness absence and vacancies.
Florence founder Dr. Charles Armitage said the survey findings meant it is likely the pandemic will add to adult social care’s 122,000 vacancy staffing gap, equivalent to eight per cent of available roles.
“We must value and protect our social care workers at all costs, but a year on from ‘clapping for our carers’, they feel forgotten. Sadly this is also being borne out in the government’s response - there is still an £11 billion funding gap to close,” he added.
“There is now an even greater danger of an exodus of trusted, experienced and dedicated leaders from care. We urge the government to widen provisions for mental health and financial support for all social care staff.”
The full results and infographic based on the data can be found at https://www.florence.co.uk/care-home-managers-covid-survey.
