Care homes will be forced to close due to soaring energy costs if government support is not urgently provided, a care leader has warned.

The stark warning came from Dr Charles Armitage, former NHS doctor and chief executive of Florence, a tech platform that connects NHS and social care workers with available shifts.

Dr Armitage said: “With energy prices rising beyond levels we have seen in decades, care homes are rightfully concerned about the impact the winter will have on their bills. Some are even having to consider the future viability of their businesses given the rapid rate energy bills are rising. The government needs to step in as a matter of urgency to ensure care homes are safeguarded, not just so they can make it through the winter but can operate in the long term.”

Dr Armitage said “long-term solutions” were needed from to avoid a “significant and catastrophic impact on the NHS” from care home closures.

“This is deeply concerning given that the NHS is currently experiencing shockingly high wait times which is leading to a significantly poorer quality of care,” Dr Armitage said.

The Florence founder also highlighted how healthcare and social care workers were often “vastly underpaid” forcing many to use food banks.

He warned of a nursing exodus from health and social care with one in five (16%) currently planning to leave the industry and 39% citing low pay as a leading factor.

Furthermore, a staggering 97% of nurses and social care workers said the cost-of-living crisis had caused them stress or burnout.

“The government urgently needs to do more,” Dr Armitage said. “We simply don’t have time to wait for the new prime minister to take office for meaningful action to take place. The cabinet needs to act now and ensure workers across the health and social care sector are paid fairly.

“Well over four fifths (85%) of nurses and social care professionals are calling for a higher minimum wage to alleviate some of the pressure many workers across the industry are facing. The government left the care sector behind at the beginning of the pandemic. I hope the government does not make the same mistake again during this crisis. We need to see action, not just empty promises.”