Age UK comment on CQC social care staff survey

Responding to CQC's Driving Improvement report on which shows having enough good quality staff is vital for improvement in the adult social care sector

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:

“To see some care providers achieve a significant improvement on their CQC rating is extremely encouraging but, as the evidence suggests in the report, hard to sustain with staff struggling with limited resources and a lack of funding proving a huge barrier to progress.

“Time and again we’ve seen what can be achieved from staff who are valued and supported and how this filters down to helping people in most need. Seeing a service turn its fortunes around is of course wonderful, but in so many instances, they sadly struggle keep up momentum. The majority of care workers are really trying their best but unable to deliver the care they want due to the ongoing crisis in social care which is underlined by the difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, local authority funding cuts, rising costs, increased demand and access problems.

“Inspections are useful as they help care providers to identify the fixable issues early on which might help create a plan of action and prioritise safe, effective, high-quality care for all. The forthcoming Government consultation on social care (Green Paper) must give carers and care users confidence that things will change for the better and quickly, and that means significant State investment and policy reform.”