'It's the worst I've seen it' - the reality of the South West's care crisis

  • Watch Katie Rowlett's report

Care managers from across our region say the industry is at a crisis point because, as there are thousands of vacancies, no-one wants to be a carer.

There are around 2,000 job vacancies in the care sector in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Care bosses are now pushing for more people to get into the profession. 

One of the impacts of a lack of carers is that more people stay in hospitals for longer, as there is no-one to care from them when they get home.

The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Trust declared an internal critical incident in October, with unprecedented demand for urgent care and the poor flow out of hospital continuing to affect performance. 

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'It's definitely the worst I have seen it'

Lee Leppier is care manager at Cherish Able Care which needs at least 10 more staff members to even out workloads across South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

He told ITV News the industry is under extreme pressure as staffing levels are on the decline.

“I've been here nine years with Cherish and it's definitely the worst I have seen it", he said.

“We used to get the odd inquiry into care. People used to apply. We did recruitment fairs, we've gone into our local supermarkets, we’ve had stalls and we are just not getting any interest.”

The lack of staff also puts increasing pressure on current staff.

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Casey Verrinder is a carer at Cherish Able Care and said: "Sometimes I don't want to say no to a shift because it means someone might not get care that day, or they might not have company so it is not a good day for them.

"It does have quite a big impact on you pressure-wise, because there are not enough staff."

Jen Witshire, 77, has daily ‘companionship visits’ from Cherish Able Care staff at her home in Staple Hill.

They prepare her breakfast and ensure that everything is ok.

77-year-old Jen Witshire has daily ‘companionship visits’ from Cherish Able Care. Credit: ITV West Country

“It makes me feel happy and secure. It's someone coming in to talk to as well and if you're worried about anything or you don't feel too well, you know there is someone going to come in to help you", she said.

"It requires a seismic change"

Deputy leader of South Gloucesterhsire Council ​​Ben Stokes told ITV News the authority is using a "Be Proud to Care" scheme to try to recruit.

"There are huge pressures in health and social care and it requires a seismic change and I don't think government alone can do it, it has to be ourselves as well," he said.

"We're putting a lot of energy into promoting the real value of care to people. This is something that's going to really appeal to people who want a career change and want to put a positive impact back into their life and back into society."

Asked whether people are deterred from the job due to low wages, Stokes said: "Life is about a lot more than what you get paid."

When pushed on whether pay is an issue amongst care home staff he later added: "I wouldn't disagree that pay is an obstacle for many."