Bexley's Adult Social Care services are facing significant challenges with staff turnover and user satisfaction, prompting councillors to call for more concrete plans to improve care consistency and quality.
The Adult Social Care & Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard that staff turnover in the formal care workforce has reached 26.2%, exceeding the England average of 23.7%. This high turnover rate, with primary reasons cited as career progression (55%), attraction to other employers (22%), better salary or benefits (22%), and career change (22%), leads to inconsistent levels of care, particularly for individuals with dementia, and places a considerable emotional toll on carers.
To combat this, the Adult Social Care Workforce Development Plan outlines improvements in recruitment and retention. This includes creating opportunities for newly qualified occupational therapists and social workers, developing apprenticeship schemes, and successfully converting agency staff to permanent roles. The plan anticipates a 30% reduction in net vacancies by the end of the 2025/26 financial year due to low turnover and successful recruitment campaigns. Furthermore, there has been a 4% increase in headcount, with 14 permanent staff posts recruited since April 2025, including Senior Social Workers, Social Workers, and an Occupational Therapist. The council is also continuing its social work apprenticeship programme to 'grow our own' staff and has begun recruitment for two occupational therapy apprenticeship posts.
Concerns were also raised about overall satisfaction levels for service users, which stand at 57.6% in Bexley, below the England average of 65.1%. While officers noted that Bexley's performance is comparable to the London average, a commitment was made to further investigate the drivers behind these figures and learn from best practices. The Adult Social Care: Performance Levels and User Feedback and Satisfaction Levels report details actions to address these areas, including bespoke training for staff on communication, complaints handling, and managing difficult conversations, with targeted training implemented over the last year. Information available on the council's and partner websites is also being reviewed and updated to improve accessibility, with plans to share information about care assessments and support expectations by April 2026.
Enhancements to strength-based practices, supervision, and reflective practice are also underway, with the Quality Assurance team monitoring service quality. The Quality Improvement Plan includes actions to expand the Quality Checkers scheme by September 2026 and develop key performance indicators from engagement and co-production work by the same date. Support plans are being reviewed and refreshed to ensure outcome-based information is agreed and shared accessibly by August 2026.
Communication breakdowns have been identified as the primary cause of complaints, accounting for 49.5% of upheld complaints, with a clear correlation between reported poor communication and perceptions of service quality. This includes issues related to payments and charges, such as communication from staff at the point of assessment, following financial assessments, or invoicing queries.
To address carer burnout and the emotional strain they face, a Carer Welcome/Information Pack
is being developed by August 2026, and a process for proactive carer assessments post-reablement will be implemented by September 2026. The committee also discussed the potential for scaling up peer support systems and considering processes from other local authorities to support carer wellbeing.
Discussions are also underway with care-at-home partners regarding zero-hour contracts. The aim is to explore alternative contractual models that offer more financial stability for staff, which in turn is expected to improve consistency and quality of care, ultimately enhancing satisfaction levels. The Adult Social Care Workforce Development Plan indicates an increase in permanent staff posts from 57% to 69% between December 2023 and December 2025, with a projected 30% reduction in net vacancies over the course of 2025/26.
While the plan highlights increased permanent posts and reduced vacancies, it does not directly quantify the tangible improvements in consistency and quality of care for residents, particularly those with dementia. However, it does acknowledge that staff turnover can lead to the loss of knowledge about individual needs and wishes, and the skills developed by staff, impacting service quality.
Read more about the Adult Social Care Workforce Development Plan here. Further details on performance levels and user feedback can be found in the ASC Performance Levels and User Satisfaction Cover Report.
