DESPITE millions spent on a government campaign in recent years, social care recruitment efforts have been branded largely ineffective, with vacancies hitting a record high.

There were 165,000 vacancies in the sector in 2021-22, when almost £6.5 million was budgeted for the adult social care recruitment campaign, according to figures retrieved by Care England, the country’s leading representative body for care providers.

Previous analysis by the King’s Fund health charity stated that, at 10.7 per cent, the vacancy rate in adult social care is the highest it has been since data began in 2012-13.