Forum Central has been asking third sector health and care organisations to share how the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis is affecting their ability to run services, any risks to staff and organisation viability. We have been asking this every quarter since September 2022. The latest results are out now.
View the survey results
Forum Central Cost Pressures Survey Results – May 2024 (link to online google doc)
The results can also be found, along with past results on the Forum Central Cost-of-Living and Cost Pressures page.
Key summary points
- Services are closing, or are at risk of closure
71% of respondents (35) responded yes to being concerned about service reduction with a further 16% answering ‘maybe’. - The third Sector workforce is reducing
75% of respondents responded that they have either already lost staff or are concerned or ‘maybe’ concerned at the risk of losing staff. - Multiple population groups are being impacted
There are crossovers in the population groups being affected by service reductions with 22 out of 34 responses selecting more than one Population/Care Board which relates to a service viability or capacity challenge. - Increases in operational costs are impacting on services and organisations
- Positive: Organisations are working in dynamic and innovative ways with a focus on working together
Feedback and evidence gained through conversations suggests:
- Use of reserves: Organisations are mitigating the risks of closure by using reserves, and/or are using reserves to subsidise contracts.
- Medium sized organisations are more able to cope than small: Medium sized organisations are more able to manage the challenges and risks because there is a little more flexibility. Small organisations are not as able to adjust and adapt because their existence is often linked to delivery of one contract.
What questions were asked?
- Are you concerned your organisation is at risk of losing staff as a result of rising operating costs/contract cost pressures/Cost of Living?
- Are you concerned your organisation is at risk of service reduction as a result of rising operating costs/contract cost pressures/Cost of Living?
- Are you concerned your organisation is at risk of closing your organisation as a result of rising operating costs/contract cost pressures/Cost of Living?
- As a result of rising operating costs/contract cost pressures/Cost of Living – have you had to reduce or close any services since September 2022?
- Would you like to flag a service at risk for possible inclusion on a Population/Care Board’s risk register?
- Have you had to operate a waiting list or not accept new service users for any of your services, because your services are at full capacity?
- Please provide real example(s), if you can, of current positives which highlight the sector’s resilience and solution focus.
This might be: new ways of working, decisive actions you have taken which protect staff or service users, creative forward planning, joined-up working.
