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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ care workers in Staffordshire are to be offered loyalty bonuses to help tackle staffing shortages.

Demand for adult social care has risen by 21% in 2021 compared with pre-pandemic levels, the county council said, with nearly 1,500 requests for assessments each month.

The local authority is working with the NHS to recruit and retain staff.

Providers will be able to apply for extra funding to hold on to staff as part of the scheme.

Staffordshire County Council said its approach was about letting people remain in their own homes for as long as possible and keep their independence.

"The NHS is dependent in so many ways on social care and carers," Marcus Warnes, from the county's clinical commissioning groups, said.

"Carers are often the difference between getting a patient back home and keeping them in hospital."

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