Urgent action needed to fix care staffing, says UNISON

Pay hike and total overhaul required

Commenting on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Friday):

“This report makes ​it crystal clear ​that the care sector is on the precipice due to the catastrophic staffing crisis.

“Care homes are closing because they can’t recruit, putting unbearable pressure on other parts of an already-struggling system. And the government’s hopeless ‘no jab, no job’ policy is about to make the situation ​a whole lot worse.

“Ministers can’t keep wringing their hands ​or behaving like the care crisis is someone else’s problem.

“Urgent action is needed to improve pay for this skilled, crucial work and begin to plug the gaping holes in the ​care workforce.

“With a winter crisis looming, and Covid cases on the rise, the knock-on effect for hospitals will ​be disastrous.

“​Nothing short of a total overhaul, with the proper investment to match, will fix the broken care sector. The nation cannot be allowed to ​keep failing the elderly and vulnerable.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk