The Independent Health and Care Providers (IHCP) has called for urgent investment in Northern Ireland’s social care workforce after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt acknowledged that homecare providers are struggling to recruit enough staff to meet growing demand.
Responding to a question from UUP MLA Diana Armstrong, Minister Mike Nesbitt stated that recruitment and retention challenges continue to affect domiciliary care services.
He also stated that providers find it difficult to attract sufficient staff to develop services to meet growing demand and that providers cite demographics, rurality and funding/pay rates as the main factors affecting recruitment, alongside strong competition from the retail and hospitality sectors.
The Minister also reiterated his commitment to introducing the Real Living Wage for the sector “when funding permits”.
Responding to the Assembly Answer, IHCP Chief Executive Pauline Shepherd said: “We welcome the Minister’s acknowledgement of the significant recruitment challenges facing domiciliary care providers and the pressures they continue to experience in attracting and retaining the workforce needed to meet growing demand.
“It is particularly encouraging to see the Assembly Answer record the experiences providers have consistently shared with the Department, including the impact of rurality, demographics, funding and pay rates, and competition for staff from other sectors.”
Ms Shepherd said the Minister’s response reinforced the need for urgent investment in the social care workforce.
“Recruitment, retention and sustainable funding are closely linked. Providers cannot expand services or increase capacity without the workforce to deliver care, and attracting that workforce depends on having funding that supports competitive pay and long-term investment.
“The Minister has reiterated his commitment to introducing the Real Living Wage for the sector. We now need to see that commitment translated into action. The challenges outlined in the Minister’s written answer reinforce why the Real Living Wage is not simply a workforce measure — it is an essential investment in the sustainability of domiciliary care and the wider health and social care system.
“Every month that passes without implementation makes it harder for providers to compete for staff in an increasingly competitive labour market. If we are serious about meeting growing demand and enabling more people to remain independent in their own homes, securing sustainable funding for the Real Living Wage must now become an urgent priority.
“Supporting people to remain independent in their own homes delivers better outcomes for individuals while also helping reduce pressure across the wider health and social care system. Investing in a sustainable domiciliary care workforce is therefore an investment in the resilience of the entire health and social care system.”
