A large social care charity has increased its spend on agency staff as it continues to face workforce shortages.
Community Integrated Care revealed in its annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2023 that it spent £14.3m on agency staff last year, an increase from £9m the previous year.
The accounts, published last week, say that Community Integrated Care “has suffered sector-wide recruitment shortages, which has resulted in the use of more expensive agency staff and like all business has been impacted by the increase in energy prices”.
On 1 August, Community Integrated Care announced that it had successfully merged with Inspire, a Scottish social care provider.
The charity said in its accounts that it will focus on the merger in 2023-24, which “will involve the integration of operational services and back-office functions to realise synergies for both organisations”.
Meanwhile, Community Integrated Care recently announced that its chair, Libby Raper, will be stepping down next March after five years in post.
‘Investing in our people led to planned operating deficit’
Community Integrated Care recorded an income of £147.8m in 2022-23, compared with £145.8m in 2021-22, against expenditure of £148.9m (2021-22: £144.4m), according to its accounts.
Despite this year’s inflationary pressures, the charity said, “it has continued with its strategy to invest in our people, which has led to a planned operating deficit in 2022-23, with net expenditure of £1.1m”.
The accounts say that “the charity group”, which includes Age Exchange, one of Community Integrated Care’s subsidiary undertakings, maintained its investment in its front-line workforce during 2022-23, enhancing pay, rewards, and wellbeing.
In spring, Community Integrated Care made a £3m investment in “improving colleague pay, reward and wellbeing”, showing its “commitment to doing everything we can to value our teams fairly for the outstanding work they do”.
“As these costs were not fully covered by Local Authority funds, the charity used its reserves to subsidise the costs,” the accounts say.
They say that a “significant element” of Community Integrated Care’s “financial capacity will be invested to enhance colleagues’ remuneration to recognise their value and as part of our strategy”, adding that the charity will develop a diversity and inclusion approach in all aspects of its activities.
Workforce challenges
During the year, Community Integrated Care recorded a turnover of 25%, which is a small decrease from the 28% recorded in 2022.
The charity said that the focus on re-evaluating and streamlining its recruitment process alongside the introduction of a new recruitment campaign contributed to the year-on-year improvement.
The number of full and part-time employees working at the charity fell by 252, from 5,347 to 5,095.
Overall, the charity’s staff costs totalled £118.1m, compared with £115m in 2022. Wages and salaries alone increased by £2.1m to £106.2m (2022: £104m).
Community Integrated Care said that the incurred agency costs, which amounted to £14.3m this year compared with £9m in 2022, are not included in staff costs.
“The charity is aware of the challenges the sector faces and, internally, also sharpened its focus on colleague wellbeing and learning initiatives to make colleagues the best they can be, whilst publicly continuing to campaign for fair pay and better conditions for everyone in social care,” it wrote in its accounts.
Related articles
