In Torbay there were an estimated 5,500 filled jobs in adult social care, split between local authorities (1%), NHS (7%), independent sector providers (84%) and jobs working for direct payment recipients (8%). As of November 2024, Torbay contained 107 CQC regulated services; 75 were residential and 32 were non-residential services.
Whilst adult social care is a growth sector, in the South West region it has grown by 4.7% since 2022/3, compared to 4.2% across England.
If the workforce grew proportionally to the projected number of people over 65, then the number of adult social care jobs in the South West region would need to increase by 35% (from 193,000 to 260,000 jobs) between 2025 and 2040. Torbay reports can be downloaded by anyone at any time here My local area
2023/24 highlights of the workforce are below. Key points are that:
- Torbay has an ASC staff turnover rate of nearly 30%, at 27.2%, higher than the South West (26.1%) and England (24.2%). In Torbay nursing homes the turnover rate is 41.2%
- Turnover rate for care workers is 34.7% in Torbay and 29.9% in England
- The vacancy rate for direct care staff is 4.7% in Torbay and 8.7% in the South West. For care workers it is 5.8% in Torbay and 9.9% in England
- In Torbay and the South West 45% of the workforce hold a relevant social care qualification, and England 46%.
Image shows - summary of the adult social care workforce in Torbay
General workforce statistics
- 5,700 total posts
- 5,500 filled posts
- 275 vacant posts
- 450 direct payment recipients employing their own staff
Filled posts by selected services
- 850 QCQ care homes with nursing
- 1,800 CQC care only homes
- 1,500 CQC non residentials
QCQ-regulated establishments
107-QCQ regulated establishments
Filled posts by sector
- Local authority: 10
- Independent and self-employed shared lives: 4,600
- Direct payment recipients: 450
- NHS: 400
Filled posts by job group
- Managers: 325
- Regulated professions: 200
- Direct care: 4,200
- Other: 700
Workforce demographics
The majority (75%) of the workforce in Torbay were female and the average age is 41 years old. Those aged 25 and under represented 12% of the workforce and those aged over 55 represented 25%, therefore approximately 1,300 people may retire in the next 10 years.
Around 77% of the workforce in Torbay were British, 5% were from within the European Union (EU) and 18% from outside the EU. Nationality varied by region. In England 75% of the workforce were British, in the South West this was 77%.
Around 83% of the workforce in Torbay were of white ethnicity and 16% were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. In the South West, 80% were of white ethnicity and 19% were of BAME groups and in England 68% were of white ethnicity and 31% were of BAME groups.
Our comparator group
Throughout this document Torbay is compared to a ‘comparator group’ of Local Authorities (LAs). This group has been put together by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), which has developed an approach to aid benchmarking and comparing similar LAs, known as ‘nearest neighbours.’
- Blackpool
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Darlington
- Dudley
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Isle of Wight
- North East Lincolnshire
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Sefton
- Southend-on-Sea
- St. Helens
- Stockport
- Torbay
- Wirral
Source: CIPFA, IMD 2019, 2022 ONS mid-year population estimates