THE care sector in Gwent is facing a “critical” situation due to rising costs and a lack of staff, the region’s councils have warned.

A draft statement by the Gwent Regional Partnership Board reveals that while care homes are “currently largely able to meet the demand for the services”, the picture is much more alarming for at-home care.

The councils say domiciliary care is facing “significant demands” which are likely to pile the pressure on “already strained” resources.

Difficulties in providing enough at-home care creates a domino effect of delays which can end up creating bottlenecks in healthcare, they added - and earlier this year the local health board said patient flow problems were largely the reason why there were long queues for people arriving at the Grange University Hospital.

Gwent’s five councils collectively warn that staff in domiciliary care “continue to leave the sector due to poor pay, terms and conditions and costs of employment”, such as driving and registration expenses.

“In recent months this situation has been further exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and [in] particular the rising cost of fuel,” the councils added.

The local authorities note the number of people requiring care at home is increasing, and they are unsure whether this will continue following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They describe the region’s domiciliary care market as being “in crisis” – with the “main issue” being “insufficient staffing levels to meet demand, due to poor staff recruitment and retention”.

Staff are leaving the sector at “an unprecedented rate”, and those who stay are “unable to maintain services due to the increasing cost of fuel”.

There is a potential lack of supply of EMI (elderly mentally infirm) care in some areas, the councils note, adding that the pressures on domiciliary care are “not particular to Gwent and replicated across Wales and the UK as a whole”.

The sector is likely to come under further pressure in the coming years, due to the “ageing population with more complex needs”.

“Population projections suggest individuals will live longer, meaning dementia diagnosis rates are predicted to increase,” the councils warn.

There is a note of optimism, however. The councils said some preventative services, such as the opening of Ty Glas Y Dorlan in Torfaen, could help ease the strain.

This new “wellbeing centre” in Thornhill, Cwmbran offers short-stay respite accommodation, communal facilities and a small number of flats.

The councils hope the centre will “prevent residential and hospital admissions, and facilitates timely hospital discharge enabling people to recover… before returning to their own homes”.