Nurse turnover in social care eclipses NHS figures

‘Precarious’ workforce situation in England’s social care sector is most acute in nurse staffing, as Skills for Care report reveals ‘eye-watering’ statistics

An ‘eye-watering’ number of nurses in social care are quitting their jobs, with a third of the workforce leaving in just one year, a report revealed.

Turnover for registered nurses in 2022-23 was more than three times higher than in the NHS coming in at 33%, equating to 9,300 full-time-equivalent leavers. This compares to a 10% turnover in the NHS, the Skills for Care annual state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England found.

Social care nurse turnover higher than sector’ other staff groups

While the report states that social care traditionally has higher turnover in general, the rate for registered nurses is far higher than for other professions in the sector, such as social work, which had a turnover of 16% in the same period.

The nurses figure had dropped from a staggering 44% in 2021-22, but the RCN insists the rate is still unsustainable and unsafe for service users.

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RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said: ‘The turnover for registered nurses exposed in this report is eye-watering and the sector must ask itself the very tough questions about why.

‘Today’s gaping hole in the domestic adult social care workforce means services are only just staying afloat because of staff recruited from overseas. Chronic short staffing is leading to over-stretched services, nurse burnout, sickness absence and ultimately, people leaving social care or the profession altogether.’

Long-term trend for filled posts in social care nursing ‘precarious’

There was an improvement in vacancy rates, which dropped from 14.6% figure in 2021-22 to 11.3% in 2022-23 or 3,600 full-time-equivalent posts.

• RELATED: Social care funding slashed amid staffing crisis

However, the number of filled full-time-equivalent posts for registered nurses has shown a downward trend over the past decade, the report said.

Chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said: ‘The report shows a small increase in registered nurses filled posts compared to the previous year. That’s good but it’s still 35% lower than ten years ago when the need for these highly skilled professionals is greater than ever.

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‘This precarious situation is exacerbated by a high level of turnover, with a third of registered nurses leaving their jobs in the last year, impacting continuity of care.’

The Department of Health and Social Care said there was more capacity in the sector than last year.

A spokesman added: ‘We know retention is equally important which is why we are investing almost £2 billion over two years through the market sustainability and improvement funds, which will help councils support the workforce.’

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