Over two-thirds (69%) of the social care workforce intend to remain in the sector, new research has revealed.

The research by Vida Healthcare found 42% of the general public would consider a career in health or social care but over one-third (34%) of people said they would not consider the sector due to perceptions of low wages and long hours.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said: “Negative news abounds about both health and social care services in the UK, from the government being warned that the sectors are on a precipice, to criticism that the Spring Budget didn’t reference public sector workers. Our research has shown that while there are things that need to be done to support the current workforce and attract new people to work in health and social care, it may not be as bleak as it first appears.”

People believed the average salary of a social care worker was less than £30,000 with only 2% thinking it could be over £46,000.

The research revealed the average salary for social care workers across the UK was £28,962 with almost one quarter (20%) paid £31,000-£35,999.

Social care workers cited better pay (65%), more flexible hours (47%) and mental health support (36%) as leading incentives to stay in the sector.

Over two-fifths (43%) of the general public said they would not consider a career in health and social due to not having the right skill set.

The research found over two-thirds of the social care workforce (67%) chose a career in care because they enjoy caring for others. Wanting to make a difference (64%) and job satisfaction (50%) were also cited as key reasons for joining the sector. 

Rycroft added: “People are the lifeblood of our health and care services, and employers within these sectors need to do everything we can to support our employees. At Vida we’ve implemented a number of initiatives to help keep our staff happy. This includes increasing our pay by 30% to benefit a number of roles, including nurses whose hourly rate increased from £18.50 to £22.50. We also have our specialist training platform, Vida Academy where we deliver numerous training programmes to provide staff with career development opportunities. This includes our Aspiring Leaders programme which gives people the skills they need to become exceptional leaders. 

“While it’s not always easy as employers to implement initiatives like this, they do provide significant benefits. For example, our staff turnover is only 6% compared to the industry standard of 29%.

“We also recently coordinated an internal staff survey to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to make Vida an enjoyable place to work. I was delighted to hear that 85% of our staff feel motivated and accomplished in their role, almost three quarters (74%) agree they have achieved either personal or professional development goals during their time at Vida, and 81% agree they have the support they need to carry out their duties.”