Northamptonshire health bosses ask government for care worker shortages cash

West Northamptonshire Council has called on the government to provide financial help so it can recruit more care workers

Council and hospital bosses in Northamptonshire have called for government help to "bridge the gap in care worker shortages".

Northamptonshire's hospital and local authority leaders said shortages were already "resulting in delays to patient discharges in our hospitals".

They said the situation will get worse as pressure builds throughout winter.

The government said money had already been earmarked to "bolster" the homecare workforce.

The statement is co-signed by Simon Weldon, the chief executive of University Hospitals Northamptonshire, which includes Northampton and Kettering Hospitals, the chief executive of Northampton Hospital Heidi Smoult and the chief executive of West Northamptonshire Council, Anna Earnshaw.

Health bosses in Northamptonshire said they feared pressures on hospitals and social care services would increase with the onset of winter

They said they were "acutely aware" of challenges across the health and social care system, which have been exacerbated by Covid-19.

"We also know that the winter months will bring further trials ahead and we are united in calling for central government to act now and provide financial help to bridge the gap in care worker shortages in our county," they added

"Care worker shortages in Northamptonshire are already resulting in delays to patient discharges in our hospitals.

"This is of extreme concern because experience tells us that the situation in the coming winter months will only worsen."

The statement said a lack of care workers in place to create care packages to those needing support at home after leaving hospital leads to delays which can slow down patient recovery.

"That's not what we want for residents and we know people want to stay in their own homes and stay independent for as long as possible," they said.

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It also said the impact care worker shortages on people's ability to leave hospital also leads to longer waits in A&E and for planned hospital care due to a lack of available beds.

The signatories added there is a need to attract workers with competitive salaries.

They said the government's recent announcement of ring-fenced funding to help with social care workforce pressure "was very welcome," but was only available until the end of March 2022.

The government said a new £162.5m fund would help local authorities recruit more homecare workforce, while the recently announced social care levy includes £5.4bn for social care over the next three years, with £500m to be spent on the workforce.

It said in all £36bn would be invested in health and care over the next three years.