The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) is one of a number of leading healthcare organisations and charities calling for the Government to take urgent action on pay to address the recruitment and retention crisis in social care in England.
The social care sector faces 105,000 vacancies this winter and the impact of this is becoming clear. There are already reports of care packages being squeezed, including reduced hours for respite and domiciliary care as well as delays in discharge from hospitals.
Occupational therapists, alongside other allied health professionals, are a fundamental part of social care, helping people across the UK. However, social care is often seen as the poor cousin of the NHS, with chronic staff shortages, inferior pay and inconsistent professional development. Occupational therapists work alongside social care support workers, many of whom are the lowest paid.
As part of the Social Care Coalition, RCOT has signed a joint letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, calling for him to finally address the poor pay in the care sector to help retain and attract future workers.
The full joint letter can be found here.