Over recent weeks, we’ve been hearing anecdotal reports that social care providers are feeling the ripple effects of the current Middle East conflict. To understand the scale and nature of this impact, we asked our ARC England members to share what they’re experiencing on the ground.
What we heard is deeply concerning.
One of the most alarming themes is the loss of skilled, committed care and support staff. People are leaving the sector because rising costs mean they simply can’t afford to stay especially when wages are higher in other industries. This isn’t a new challenge for social care, where pay is tied to local authority fees that remain at historic lows. But the pressures driving people out are shifting.
Alongside staffing pressures, providers are reporting new and emerging cost challenges. Fuel price increases, particularly petrol and diesel, are hitting organisations hard. Several members told us that staff are struggling to afford the cost of travelling to work, let alone using their own vehicles to support people with getting out into their communities. Some organisations have even had to restrict the use of company vehicles because fuel costs have become unsustainable.
Energy bills are also rising again, adding further strain to already stretched budgets. For many providers, these increases are forcing difficult decisions about what can be maintained and what must be scaled back. The price of heating oil has doubled, leaving providers of care for people with complex needs with very difficult decisions to make about how heating is used within their services.
We are also hearing about medication shortages in some areas, creating additional stress for staff and the people they support. Delays in accessing essential medication not only impact health and wellbeing but also increase anxiety for frontline teams who are trying to manage care safely.
For faith-based organisations, there can be an additional and very specific pressure; the increased cost of security. Rising threats towards, for example, the Jewish community mean that many providers have had to strengthen security measures, adding yet another financial burden at a time when resources are already under significant strain. Staff members also report concerns about travelling to and from work and their safety during working hours.
These aren’t small operational inconveniences. When staff can’t travel, when outings are reduced, when medication is harder to access, when energy costs limit what organisations can offer and when communities face additional safety concerns, the impact is felt by those who rely on care and support to live full, meaningful lives.
Samantha Leonard, ARC England Director states “The sector has weathered many pressures, but this emerging pattern deserves urgent attention. Rising costs linked to global instability are creating local consequences that risk undermining the very heart of social care-relationships, connection and the ability to support people to live well”.
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