Wigan short of "hundreds" of social carers

Wigan Council deputy leader Coun Keith Cunliffe said that while the situation in the borough was improving, too many people still think of caring as being poorly paid and with few career prospects.

He spoke as the Department of Health and Social Care teams up with North West care providers today to launch a new campaign to tackle the shortage of workers and fill the region’s 12,500 vacancies.

Shocking stats show the turnover of staff in Wigan is 26.1 per cent while the vacancy rate stands at 7.5 per cent.

Posts needing filling range from helping people living in supported accommodation, and working with elderly people remaining independent in their own homes, to roles in residential and nursing care.

Coun Cunliffe hailed some of the good work already being done in Wigan but said people were not aware of this.

He said: “We have an ageing population and we are going to need more people choosing care as a career.

“It tends to be seen as low-paid work, either minimum wage or zero-hours contracts, with little training and a high turnover.

“We’re a bit more in advance in Wigan with our approach to asking people what matters to them and what they want to do. Everyone working in Wigan has to have that approach themselves.

“We had one lady in a wheelchair who wanted to feel sand run through her toes so her carers took her to Southport.

"Another man in a care home liked lorries so a company brought one along. It’s those little things that make such a big difference.

“We need to raise the level of care and improve the profile and importance of going into it. We need to do a lot more work with schools and colleges.

“People think it’s something you do for a few years and then move on. We need to give real opportunities for caring professionals to advance themselves.”

Across the North West more than one in four workers leave the sector each year.

Chief social worker for adults Lyn Romeo said: "Every day is different when you work in care. There are already 8,000 hardworking Wiganers with jobs in adult social care and there is huge demand for more people to start a career supporting some of Wigan's most vulnerable people.

"Across England there are 110,000 vacancies in the sector, with 500 in Wigan alone. I started my career as a care assistant and want to show people how rewarding, varied and worthwhile careers in adult social care can be.

"There are really are brilliant opportunities for career progression and development. I urge people in Wigan to look at their local vacancies on DWP Find a Job and consider applying today."