Wolverhampton care agency loses recruits to supermarkets

Prospect Tree Care staff are holding events to attract more workers

A care company says potential recruits are leaving the training process to take jobs in supermarkets and other sectors where pay is more attractive.

Prospect Tree Healthcare in Wolverhampton says a critical shortage of funding and high staff absence is putting huge pressure on its work.

The agency adds it cannot afford hourly rates of £12.50 offered by some shops, although staff deserve it.

It has issued a warning in response to the challenges it faces.

The company is among a number in the West Midlands to say winter pressures could lead to them struggling to deliver wraparound support to adults needing care.

"Pay is more attractive in other sectors, particularly supermarkets," said Phil Farmer, quality and compliance manager at Prospect Tree Care.

"You see the big ones offering £12.50 an hour. We can't match that. I would love to pay our staff that and more - they deserve it - but the money isn't there to do it."

Phil Farmer said the agency could not afford to match higher wages in other sectors

The company has seen the cost of fuel, energy, and care equipment all increase over the past two years and says funding from the local authority has not kept pace, so they can only pay staff slightly above minimum wage.

Bonuses for performance have not been issued for months.

About 110 people in the city receive care from the company, which includes referrals from City of Wolverhampton Council.

"We did a costing exercise across Wolverhampton, and we found it was costing around £22 an hour to deliver care for each person, considering the cost of buildings, staff, rates and other fees. In reality, what we get from the council is around £16.50 an hour all in," said Mr Farmer.

The local authority said it had increased the rates it paid providers by up to 10 per cent, putting an extra £4.5m into adult social care.

'Growing wound'

"The issues raised by Prospect Care are well known to us, and we do not for one minute pretend there are not serious difficulties facing the social care sector nationally," said councillor Linda Leach, cabinet member for adult services.

"It is therefore particularly disappointing that much-need reforms to adult social care have been delayed again.

"We know that the sector has been calling for reform for over 20 years, and we know that it won't be fixed overnight - but without the right investment we are forever searching for sticking plasters to cover up a growing wound."

A cap on care costs was due to be introduced in October 2023, but a delay of two years was announced in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Statement.

Following concern over challenges including staffing and financial pressures, the government said an extra £2.8bn would be available for adult social care next year and £4.7bn the following year.

Prospect Tree Care is continuing to stage recruitment events to increase its numbers.

Its care coordinator Gemma Evans, who has been taking on extra shifts at weekends to help cover staff absence, says the job is about putting other people first and takes a special kind of person to do it.

"It's hard, a challenge, but honestly I couldn't ask for a better job," she said. "There's a sense of 'I'm doing something worthwhile'.

"This is my first career, and I've never looked back."

Care coordinator Gemma Evans said working in the sector was worthwhile

Meanwhile, Age UK Birmingham and Sandwell said it had seen the demand for help increase as families were told care costs for relatives were likely to rise.

Sadaf Azim, from the charity, said families should be aware of means-testing and to check whether they were entitled to benefits to help with payments.

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