Social care is suffering an exodus of staff, with the workforce shrinking last year for the first time ever.
Experts fear the service is on the brink after vacancies increased by 52% in 2021/22, leaving 165,000 posts unfilled.
Skills for Care’s annual report revealed there was a workforce of 1.62 million last year, down 50,000 on 2020, amid Tory cuts and poor pay.