Hampshire social care recruitment drive under fire amid salary concerns
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In October, Hampshire County Council launched its Call To Care campaign, in a bid to encourage more people to work in care homes and domiciliary care.
At the time, there were almost 100 temporary and full-time vacancies on the county council and Connect2Hampshire websites.
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Hide AdA further 22 employee contracts were terminated at the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination deadline last month.
But the county council has remained tight-lipped on how many new starters have come in since the campaign began - as well as the current number of vacancies.
Executive member for public health and social care, Cllr Liz Fairhurst, said: 'Let's say there have been some green shoots and that we'll keep trying.
'We have seen more people coming forward but across the sector there's a major need to more staff. We would welcome applications from anyone.
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Hide Ad'It can be a really rewarding job, but the problem is that you can earn more working in a supermarket or behind a bar.
‘Perhaps private sector care homes could provide a cash bonus for new employees, like some other businesses are doing.'
Cllr Fairhurst added that some areas of the care sector are 'faring better' than others.
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But opposition Liberal Democrat spokesman for health and social care, Cllr David Harrison, said the 'abysmal' pay is the main obstacle to recruitment.
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Hide Ad'I'm not surprised that they're struggling to recruit,' he said.
'The biggest issue is the level of pay, and every time the sector gets a boost, wages get overlooked.
'The government can invest all it likes into care facilities and training, but if people can earn more money as a self-employed dog walker, it's a no-brainer.
'What's worse is the county council is having to make savings of £80m at the moment, just to balance the books - so I don't think we'll be in any position to increase pay in the near future.'
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Hide AdA spokeswoman from the county council said the Call To Care campaign had been running for a 'comparatively short period of time' but added that there are several hundred roles available across the social care sector.
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