The nursing and social care sector is suffering from a severe skills shortage, according to a new survey.

The survey, from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), shows that 80% of the REC’s nursing and social care sector group reported problems related to a shortage of skilled labour.  

The survey also showed that recruiters thought more unqualified candidates could be retrained in social care and that agencies played an important role in developing the skills of candidates with 87% of agencies stating that they provide training to their workforce.

Peter Cullimore, chair of the REC nursing and social care group, says: “The steady growth of the social care sector is not being met by the current availability of labour from the UK and the EU.

“Leaving vacancies unfilled is not an option when it comes to the care sector. It puts additional pressure on existing staff who may be expected to work  extra  hours which may affect the quality of service.”