New research has revealed that half of the UK public fear their family will not be well looked after in care homes.

The Ipsos research commissioned by The Guardian also found nine out of ten people believe there are not enough care staff in the UK. Additionally, two-thirds of those surveyed believed care workers are underpaid.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, told Caring Times: “It is not surprising that the public lose confidence in the sector when the only publicity is negative, and when the government refuses to give a long-term and sustainable funding settlement.”

Helen Wildbore, director of The Relatives & Residents Association, said: “This polling sadly reflects what we hear on our helpline every week, of the frustration at the inconsistency in standards. We need urgent reform of the care sector, including investment in skills and training. Care staff should be as highly valued as their NHS colleagues for the crucial public service they provide.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving the quality of care for everyone. This month, the Care and Quality Commission began to assess local authorities’ delivery of their adult social care duties. Local authority assessment will increase transparency and local accountability, making sure we can better understand the quality of care and to identify where improvement and additional support is needed.

“We are supporting social care with up to £7.5 billion over the next two years. Last week we set out the next steps in our plan to reform social care, backed by £700 million over the next two years to put people at the heart of care.

“Our remaining funding, up to £600 million, has not yet been allocated. We are considering how best to use this, including further investment in workforce, and will target this remaining funding on measures that will have the most impact.”