Addressing care market workforce recruitment and retention challenges

• About 12% jobs are vacant and the number of vacancies grew 33% in 21/22 (Skills for Care)
• Lack of pipeline of new entrants to care sector among younger age groups, and 28% workforce already over 55
• Lack of career progression opportunities

Ensuring effective management of capacity and demand, both now and for the future

• There are some supply issues in parts of the county, especially for domiciliary care and complex care
• There is an over-supply of residential care beds, and this is likely to widen 
• Intermediate care services are fragmented and cannot fully meet demand

Putting lived experience of the person at the centre of what we do

• Lack of co-ordinated mechanism for capturing lived experience across the system
• Personal Assistant market is under-developed and lacks support
• Information, Advice and Guidance is fragmented and sub-optimal

Ensuring delivery of good quality services

• 80% providers are good or outstanding, but this means 1 in 5 require improvement or are inadequate

Digital & Technology that maximises independence and workforce efficiency

• Care technology is under-utilised in the sector and can support independence and quality of life
• Opportunities to support workforce efficiency and workload

Promoting the financial sustainability of the sector as a whole

• Financial challenges facing council and care providers and major national care charging reforms due October 2025