Care Staff Shortages in the UK: What Families Should Know

By · Published 2025-10-19 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

A hand writes a checklist with tick boxes in a squared notebook.
Photo: Unknown (via rawpixel), CC0 1.0

UK care providers struggle to recruit and keep staff because the work is demanding and has historically been low paid, and new overseas recruitment of care workers closed in July 2025. Reforms such as a planned fair pay agreement and a national career pathway aim to help. Families can protect their relative by asking providers specific questions about staffing, turnover and training.

Care providers across the UK find it hard to recruit and keep enough staff. The work is skilled and demanding but has historically been low paid, many workers leave for other sectors, and the route for recruiting new care workers from overseas closed in July 2025. For families, this can show up as frequent agency staff, rushed home care visits or a lack of continuity.

Reforms are under way, but they will take time. In the meantime, the best protection for your relative is to ask each provider clear questions about staffing.

Why do care providers struggle to find staff?

Several long-standing factors combine:

What changed with overseas recruitment?

Care providers relied heavily on international recruitment in recent years. Under immigration rule changes, new overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker visas closed on 22 July 2025. People already in the UK can switch into these roles until 22 July 2028, and existing sponsored workers can extend their stay.

Immigration is decided at UK level, so this applies in all four nations.

What is being done to improve pay and careers?

England

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, most care workers must register with a professional body (the Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council), which sets standards of conduct and training. England does not currently require care workers to register in this way. The Welsh Government funds the Real Living Wage for registered social care workers.

What do the rules say about staffing levels?

In England, there is no fixed legal ratio of staff to residents. Instead, CQC Regulation 18 requires providers to deploy sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff, using a systematic approach based on people's needs and reviewed as those needs change. Staff must also receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal.

Nursing homes must have one or more qualified nurses on duty at all times.

How can staff shortages affect your relative?

Warning signs include:

Continuity matters, especially for people with dementia, who may become distressed by unfamiliar faces.

What questions should families ask a provider?

For care homes

  1. How many care staff and nurses are on duty during the day and at night?
  2. How do you decide staffing levels, and how do you adjust them if needs increase?
  3. How much do you use agency staff? Do you use the same agency workers regularly?
  4. How long have the manager and senior staff been in post?
  5. What training do staff receive, including in dementia and end-of-life care?

For home care agencies

  1. How many different carers will visit my relative each week?
  2. How long are visits, and do they include travel time?
  3. What happens if a carer is late or cannot come?
  4. How do you make sure carers know my relative's care plan?

Also read the latest inspection report. In England, the CQC's "safe" and "well-led" sections usually comment on staffing, training and leadership.

What can families do if staffing seems unsafe?

  1. Raise it with the manager, giving specific examples and dates.
  2. Ask for a care review if your relative's needs are not being met.
  3. Use the provider's complaints procedure.
  4. Tell the council if it funds the care, or its safeguarding team if you think your relative is at risk.
  5. Share your concerns with the regulator: CQC, the Care Inspectorate, Care Inspectorate Wales or RQIA.

Frequently asked questions

Not in England. CQC Regulation 18 requires sufficient suitably skilled staff based on residents' needs, rather than a fixed ratio. Providers should be able to explain how they calculate staffing and how they respond when needs change.

Are agency staff a bad sign?

Not always. Most providers use some agency staff to cover sickness and holidays. Heavy, constant reliance on different agency workers can affect continuity, so ask how much is used and whether the same workers return.

Will care workers get a pay rise?

In England, a fair pay agreement is planned, with the first agreement expected from April 2028. Pay already varies between providers, and Wales funds the Real Living Wage for registered social care workers.

Can care homes still recruit from overseas?

New overseas recruitment into care worker and senior care worker roles closed on 22 July 2025. Workers already in the UK can switch into care roles until July 2028, and existing sponsored workers can stay.

How do I check a home's staffing record?

Read the latest inspection report, especially the sections on safety and leadership, and ask the manager directly. Visiting at different times, including evenings and weekends, shows you staffing in practice.

Key takeaways