Resources
Adult social care spending on direct care
This section specifically examines Adult Social Care expenditure for packages of care. It excludes expenses related to staffing or any other areas and does not incorporate income, including contributions made by eligible clients towards their care costs. This approach is designed to facilitate comparisons with other Market Position Statements.
The expenditure for adult social care services below increased from £126m in 2018/19 to £155m in 2021/22, representing a £29m increase and a 23% growth in gross expenditure. Among the various types of care, Residential Care accounted for the largest proportion of this spend, representing 44% of this expenditure in 2018/19 and 43% in 2021/22. When this is broken down further to Older People Residential Care accounted for 24% of the total spend in 2021/22.
Residential Nursing Care accounted for 11% of the spend during 2018/19 and 2021/22 and again of this Older People Residential Nursing Care accounted for 8% of the spend in 2021/22.
We have several statutory responsibilities, including setting a balanced budget. While recognising the need to remain within budget, but also to help maintain the quality, sustainability, and accessibility of adult social care services in Warwickshire, we consider increasing our rates each year in the context of costs pressures such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the National Living Wage (NLW).
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Workforce
The staffing vacancies across all job roles in care homes, including nursing homes, in Warwickshire was 11.3% in December 2022. This increase is in line with the national vacancy rate, which stood at 10.9% in 2021/22.
Furthermore, the staff turnover rate in the sector is high, standing at 40.7%, with 48% of those leaving their job but staying in the sector and moving to another organisation. The average sickness rate for staff across care homes in Warwickshire is 10.6 days per year, which is higher than the national average of 8.4 days per year. Additionally, the workforce in the sector is predominantly female, with males making up 15% compared to 17% nationally. The average age of a person working in the sector in Warwickshire is 43 years old, compared to the national average of 44 years old.
Recruitment remains a persistent challenge within the sector. The allure of higher-paying jobs in other sectors, such as health services and large retailers/ supermarkets, makes it difficult to attract and retain skilled workers. To overcome this obstacle, it is important to focus on enhancing the offer to prospective care workers and WCC would want to join with providers and the NHS ICB in systemwide initiatives that promote the rewards of working in the care industry, such as making a positive impact on people’s lives.