The government has revealed £72 million plans to bolster the care sector but a council says it won’t solve its agency worker crisis and the money “isn’t even a drop in the ocean”.

Medway’s issues with retaining permanent care workers may receive help from Westminster as new plans to improve the sector have been announced.

The Department of Health and Social Care has outlined plans to improve career paths for those working in social care with training and apprenticeships, which they say will recognise the work they do and make it a more rewarding career.

Like many councils across the country, the Towns’ authority has difficulties with rising costs of social care due to expensive agency staff because they struggle to attract permanent workers.

However, Medway Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Teresa Murray, has said the funding is a “drop in the ocean” and more support is needed.

New plans announced on January 10 aim to make care work more attractive as a career by offering a clearer picture of how people can progress and create better opportunities to access training.

Of the £72m earmarked for the scheme, £50m will go towards giving 37,000 existing care workers accredited qualifications.

They say this will formalise the industry by giving staff standard qualifications which guarantee quality and will eliminate the need for unnecessary and costly retraining when they move to another care job.

There will also be £20m for local councils and care providers to put towards apprenticeships, making it easier to recruit people into the sector.

There will be an official care workforce pathway, that sets out a structure for the adult social care workers, showing the levels and qualifications people can aspire to.

Kent MP Helen Whately (Con), who is Minister for Social Care, said the investment would go a long way towards recognising the efforts of social workers and would make it a desirable career choice.

The Tory MP, who represents Faversham and Mid Kent, said: The workforce is the heartbeat of the social care sector and staff should be given the recognition and opportunities they deserve.

“These changes will give brilliant care workers the chance to develop rewarding careers in social care.

“Turnover of staff is lower where there is access to learning opportunities to gain skills and qualifications.

“Investing in better training and supporting staff to develop their careers will act as an incentive for people to join or stay in the workforce.”

The announcement by central government received some praise for trying to address the issues facing the social care sector, and particularly its costs to local councils.

However, some said it wasn’t enough to solve the problem completely.

Care England, the largest representative body of independent providers of adult social care in England, welcomed the plan but said it only scratched the surface of recruitment and retention issues.

Professor Martin Green OBE said: “This package of measures, including the Care Workforce Pathway, is an opportunity to be an asset to the sector and has the potential to make it a more attractive sector to work in.

“We know career structures and pathways play a key role in attracting and keeping people in adult social care roles. But these are not the only factors.

“The promise from this government to fix social care feels like a distant memory but this is a welcome reminder that this promise has not been forgotten. The impetus is now on the government to turn the tide and make good on their promise.”

Medway Council has set reducing reliance on agency staff as a major goal, with deputy leader Teresa Murray saying it was a priority at a health and adult social care committee last October.

She said: “We want Medway to be an employer of choice. Nobody wants to have so many agency staff, it’s expensive, it’s hard to get continuity, it’s hard to get consistency, but it’s the position that we’re in.”

In October documents showed that temporary staff across all council departments was costing the authority £13m already that financial year.

Depending on their role, agency workers can ask for between £220 and £690 per day.

As part of cost-saving measures to reduce the council’s £12 million predicted overspend, the conversion of temporary staff to permanent has been prioritised through regular recruitment drives.

Medway Council welcomed the announcement of a national career structure and qualifications for care workers and said it will compliment the work they are doing to make Medway an attractive place to work

However, they said this alone will not solve the national issue facing the sector, or local concerns.

In response to the announcement, Cllr Murray said: “Whilst any additional funding for social care is welcome this is not new money and was promised last year.

“£70m across the whole of England isn’t even a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of the problem.

“In Medway alone we are working with an estimated £7m overspend in adult social care this year.

“What we need as local authority are the financial resources to be able to recruit, train, and retain our own social workers and in Medway we already have an academy in partnership with local universities which enables those working in social care at all levels to gain qualifications and progress in a supportive environment.

“Funding future stability would provide a much better experience for those working in the sector, those needing to receive care, and good value for money.

“Sadly, next year’s funding settlement for local authorities did nothing to address this need.”