The third annual Care Trends Report 2025 from OneAdvanced, in partnership with Care England, shines a light on the realities facing the care sector today. Based on a survey of 404 multi-site care providers, the findings lay bare the challenges providers say are holding them back, often directly impacting the workforce management and the delivery of care and support.
Staggeringly, almost half (48%) of care providers report they are now effectively ‘working in the dark’ – having insufficient advanced visibility of their organisation – a figure that has more than doubled from 21% last year. This blind spot is forcing many into backward-looking strategies, addressing historical inefficiencies rather than pursuing future-focused solutions.
Nearly half (47%) of providers struggle to track move-ins and move-outs, a critical operational blocker directly impacting the timeliness of care delivery. Administrative errors are also draining valuable resources, with 78% of providers spending three to- six hours each month amending payroll errors. That’s a sharp increase from 49% the previous year, reflecting a growing burden on already overstretched back-office teams, often pulling focus from more critical care priorities.
It seems that employees themselves are bearing the brunt. Almost a third (32%) of providers say they’re unable to offer their employees the right number of hours. Another 22% struggle with scheduling shifts at times that work for staff. These figures clearly indicate a vital opportunity to support care providers to offer much needed flexibility, to boost employee satisfaction, meet care demand, and comply with the upcoming changes to employment laws.
Professor Martin Green OBE, CEO at Care England reflected on the findings:
‘This year’s Care Trends Report is a wake-up call for everyone invested in the future of social care. It exposes the pressures faced by providers, from operational challenges to workforce demands, it importantly, highlights the extraordinary resilience and commitment of care provider’s most valuable asset—their people! The highly skilled individuals who work tirelessly caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Care providers are already facing significant operational challenges in delivering services, upcoming legislative changes are expected to introduce further complexities, putting additional pressure on providers who are already struggling to maintain the status quo. It is essential that we amplify their voices to ensure they receive the right support and solutions needed to sustain their future.’
Ric Thompson, SVP – Health & Care at OneAdvanced, comments:
‘The Care Trends Report 2025 does more than highlight challenges—it amplifies the voices of the millions of people working in care and advocates for decisive action across the sector. The encouraging news is that the report reveals strong momentum and a clear appetite for change. And with the right support and technology, care providers can shift from reactive firefighting to proactive, future-ready care.’
Access the full Care Trends Report 2025 to explore key insights and understand the pressing challenges facing the care sector today.
Please click the link to read the report in full: https://www.oneadvanced.com/trends-reports/care/?utm_term=press&utm_campaign=uk-fy26-cre-3rd_party-care_england-cre-businessmanagementnarrative1
