AUDITORS slapped down the Tory government yesterday for failing to come up with a strategy to head off a looming social care staffing shortfall.

The National Audit Office said that, with care worker numbers already at troubling lows and unlikely to match rising demand, there is “no national strategy to address this workforce challenge.”

The report highlighted that, in 2016-17, around half of care workers were paid £7.50 per hour or less — equivalent to £14,625 per annum — which, along with tough working conditions, prevents workers from joining and remaining in the sector.