Report lays bare in stark terms the problem facing the sector
Scotland’s social care sector still faces a recruitment crisis, despite charities increasing spending and resources.
Almost two-thirds of third sector social care organisations increased recruitment spending but vacancy rates remain unsustainably high, according to new research published today.
The 2023 Social Care Benchmarking Report reveals the scale of sector-wide sustainability issues, with serious recruitment, retention and staffing challenges persisting.
The Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) and the HR Not-for-Profit Sector Forum (HRNFPSF) commissioned the University of Strathclyde to conduct the benchmarking survey for member organisations.
The report reveals that, across 2022-23, 95% of organisations found it either ‘very difficult’ or ‘quite difficult’ to recruit frontline staff.
The top three reasons for recruitment difficulties were ‘pay levels’, ‘too few applications’ and ‘local competitors’ such as retail.
The study also found: just over one-third of respondents (33%) reported an increase in the number of agency workers used in the last 12 months.
Frontline posts remain the most difficult to fill, with 95% of respondents experiencing difficulties in recruiting operations staff. This was followed by managers (64%) and supervisors and administrative support (27%).
And two-thirds of respondents had an overspend on recruitment in relation to their predicted recruitment budget.
Reasons for this included: subscriptions to recruitment websites and targeted advertising; high turnover meaning more adverts required; costs of PVGs; increased recruitment activity given volume of vacancies and severity of recruitment difficulties; greater need to use more paid recruitment sites, particularly for HR and finance staff; and readvertisement.
Rachel Cackett, chief executive of CCPS, said: “The findings of the survey again demonstrate the immense challenges faced by not-for-profit social care providers in recruiting and retaining the staff needed to ensure consistent, quality support for everyone who needs it. The evidence is part of a bigger picture of a sector under intense pressure.
“Yesterday’s report from Audit Scotland on the finances and performance of Scotland's Integrated Joint Boards highlighted that providers are doing everything they can, with a driven and committed workforce, but that their hands are tied.
“Faced with competition from other sectors who pay more and a government that sets the base wage, they are unable to increase pay to retain staff and ensure consistency for people who need support.
“If providers are to be part of a system that is resilient to the kind of pressures that will be faced through the coming winter, the Scottish Government must take action on Fair Work and make its choice absolutely clear in September’s Programme for Government.
“The First Minister has prioritised reducing delayed hospital discharge. But a limited focus on this will do little to address wider dysfunction in our integrated health and social care system that this survey, Audit Scotland’s report, and evidence from our members, confirms.”
Kevin Staunton, Chair of the HR Not-For-Profit Sector Forum, said the report laid the increasing challenges that organisations face in recruiting new candidates and retaining a good quality workforce in the face of continued threats to the funding of vital services, and in the disparity in pay between the work undertaken by the sector and like for like work / roles being provided by local authority providers and the NHS.
She said: “It highlights key measures to ensure the survival of the not-for-profit sector, meet these aspirations and fulfil the hopes of our dedicated and values-led workforce. Our Forum members invite you to read the report and we extend an open invitation to work with others to make our aims a reality.”
