Community and social care staff shortages expected across Gwent

Caerphilly County Borough Council has warned there could be staff shortages in the community and social care sectors.

The shortages are due to the impact of the move to Alert Level Zero – such as staff summer leave, self-isolation, equipment shortages and increased numbers of people being discharged from hospital and needing care.

Councils across Gwent have said it’s possible there will be some changes to the support people receive – and families may be asked to assist community care providers.

Why is Caerphilly in Gwent?

Caerphilly County Borough was formed on April 1, 1996, by the merger of the Rhymney Valley district of Mid Glamorgan with the Islwyn borough of Gwent.

Administratively, for local services such as the police and health, the borough now falls under a wider region referred to as Gwent. This comprises the council areas of Caerphilly, Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services at Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr Shayne Cook, said: “It’s clear that this situation is not unique to Caerphilly as other Welsh authorities are struggling to mitigate the shortage in social care staff.

“The situation has worsened due to a number of circumstances such as school holidays, staff leave and the opening up of the hospitality sector which is affecting staff retention and recruitment.

“However, the council is working very hard to help and protect those residents who need care the most.”

Local authorities are calling on those who want to work in social care to apply for the available positions, which can be found at wecare.wales

Nick Wood, Executive Director of Primary, Community and Mental Health Services at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “We are working with our partners in social care to explore every opportunity to support local people with their ongoing care needs, either in their own homes or through the significant network of service providers in the area.

“We recognise the huge challenges at this time with the availability of domiciliary care staff and the increased demand for care and support, and we would encourage all communities to work with us and the community services teams.

“Services are under intense pressure and this is likely to continue for the short to medium term as we work with social care partners to increase capacity in the community and enable changes to the way in which services are delivered as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

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