Social care is suffering an exodus of staff, with the workforce shrinking last year for the first time ever.
Experts fear the service is on the brink after vacancies increased by 52% in 2021/22, leaving 165,000 posts unfilled.
Skills for Care’s annual report revealed there was a workforce of 1.62 million last year, down 50,000 on 2020, amid Tory cuts and poor pay.
Health Foundation director Hugh Alderwick said: “People are going without the care they need. Underfunding by government has contributed to unacceptable pay and conditions for the sector.”
Simon Bottery of The King’s Fund added: “These figures are evidence of the crisis social care faces on staffing.”
Around 400,000 carers quit last year. While many moved to a different job in the sector, 37% left it altogether.
The Mirror has launched the Fair Care for All campaign to demand staff get proper pay, training and progression.
Workers with five years’ experience were last year paid just 7p an hour more than those with less than a year’s.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “It is a disgrace that care workers are paid poverty wages.”
A separate report by the Health Foundation found social care workers were twice as likely as an average Brit to struggle with food bills.
No10 said: “We’re investing in adult social care and have made £500million available to support discharge from hospital and bolster the workforce this winter.”
It said it was spending £15million on an international recruitment drive, with a domestic one to follow soon.
