Coping with a cost of living crisis in the English care home workforce: a qualitative study

This study aimed to examine how the current state and limitations of the English older adult care home sector, within the context of the cost of living crisis, influenced the psychological wellbeing of care home staff.

Individual semi-structured remote qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 participants who worked in older adult care homes in England between June 2024 and January 2025. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Analysis revealed six themes: (1) Coping with the demands of the job; (2) What helped and hindered work-related wellbeing support in care homes; (3) Working with societal stigma and a lack of recognition; (4) The influence of personal circumstances on resilience in a cost of living crisis; (5) The inequality of cost of living support within care homes; and (6) Systemic influences on the cost of living experience. Care home staff from lower socioeconomic backgrounds appeared to be disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis. The availability and nature of support differed across care homes, with provision marked by inconsistency and inequity.

This study identified socioeconomic inequalities in the care home workforce which influence their experiences of financial strain and occupational demands. Inconsistent and inequitable support was found across care homes, highlighting the need for sector reform to address these differences and recognise the value of this workforce.