Experienced care staff earn 6p an hour more than newcomers – Community Care

All of this was predictable, but the Government did or does not care.

Yes, I agree the £9.50 out of London needs to be the base rate, but that is only a start, for the actual base rate needs to b e much more and then more persons with the responsible degrees of care could be more willing to join the care profession.

In line with this the Government needs to ensure that UK immigration is amended to allow persons out of the UK to come to the UK to work in the care profession. It is a must and it needs to be done urgently as care can not wait much longer.

What this Governments needs to understand is all this reluctance to act to save the care profession and those who need care, is having great adverse affects on the health service. For any lack of care means more demands on the health service. So when the health service fails and it will without Government action on the care profession, the blame will be laid fully at the door of this government.

 

Source: Experienced care staff earn 6p an hour more than newcomers – Community Care

Adult social care needs £6.1bn funding boost to end ‘low cost low value, low outcome’ approach – Community Care

Adult social care needs in England £6.1bn of additional funding to overhaul a ‘low cost, low value, low outcome’ approach and realise its full potential, a study has found.

 

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Adult social Care certainly does need £6.1 billion and I would say more, maybe even to £10 billion and in doing so no one should forget Children’s Social Care which is also well underfunded.

The lack of Government funding in Social Care is a disgrace and no one should accept it.

Austerity cuts have caused many problems, with many if not all still to be rectified and Local Authorities are still being asked to make savings.

But, there are no savings to be made, only reducing services which are already severely reduced and thereby quality is suffering.

It could be said that when austerity came in there were insufficient areas in which cuts could be made, but the Government were demanding cuts and look where these cuts have left us, as shown through the COVID pandemic and is still doing so.

The government needs to live in the real world and see the suffering being caused to the most vulnerable in English Society.

But I feel this Government does not care about the vulnerable as this has been borne out in the policies that have been introduced.

By not sufficiently investing in Social Care by this and previous Governments this is causing even more drain on NHS resources, when they are already stretched thinly.

So, I call on the Government, for once to show that they do care and make all the required investments in Social Care, not in 3 or more years time, but immediately, as time is not on the side of Social Care.

 

Source: Adult social care needs £6.1bn funding boost to end ‘low cost low value, low outcome’ approach – Community Care

Labour Members Vote In Favour Of £15 Minimum Wage | HuffPost UK

On the face of it this appears to be good news, provided Labour get in and do not renege on their promises, for nothing is ever certain.

I was campaigning for at least  £14, but £15 is even better, but is it?

Many organisations will be able to comply, without much bother but what about those organisations that are on restrictive incomes or uncertain incomes, for here I am relating to charities who have to bid for much of their income from ever reducing sources.

it could be that to pay £15 they would have to reduce the hours worked, so in effect the individuals would not be better or even worse if those reduced hours brought their reduced hours to be low the hours required to be eligible for certain tax credits.

Then we have the care profession, and yes, the good care workers should be on £15 or even much more, but for providers to pay that then their rates they charge for care would also have to be considerably increased and their is no mention of that. For Government controls what is paid to Local Authorities who in turn pay the care providers so they in turn pay their care workers.

For this to be achievable the total withdrawn under austerity cuts would have to be returned to Local Authorities and much much. For if the austerity cuts were to be reversed today this would only bring local authorities funding to 2010 levels, which due to the passage of time would have to be uplifted to account for inflation.

But 2010 levels even uplifted for inflation are way too insufficient to account for payments into social care, for in my view social care has never been sufficiently funded  by having an underfunded social care this has a bearing on the NHS, which in itself is also underfunded, but not to the enormous scale of the underfunding of social care.

The crisis in social care is very dire and not all is down to funding, for much is also down to the lack of persons willing to enter the care profession, and this could be partly remedied by allowing persons from outside the UK to enter so they could become employed in social care, but the current Government immigration policy does not allow for this. But it appears there are to be some temporary lifting for lorry drivers and some others, but no mention of social care.

Social Care has to be part of increased funding, substantial increases of funding as well as substantial permanent changes to the immigration policy and then look at working conditions, guaranteed travel pay and sickness and holiday pay as well as unsocial hours payments.

If not social care will not survive which means neither will the NHS.

 

 

Source: Labour Members Vote In Favour Of £15 Minimum Wage | HuffPost UK

Care homes are desperately short of staff – why no emergency UK visas for them? | Simon Jenkins | The Guardian

The main difference between lorry drivers and care staff is that the Government feel they will have public support for any U-turn on lorry drivers but not for social care. This is due to the mistaken public opinion of care workers, which is reinforced by Government policy.

Also the Government feels the u-turn will be a quick fix and then the visas will be no more, but for care the visas will need to be long going, perhaps forever.

Also haulage firms are deciding to pay lorry drivers more, but this is not a luxury that is available in care, as because of years of underfunding of local authorities and even more so with the 10 years of austerity cuts the funding is not there for local authorities to pay care providers more so they in turn could pay their care workers more, with most of them only on the currently National Living Wage of £8.91 per hour or at least no more than £10 per hour when they could receive around £14 per hour for working in Supermarkets and Amazon for a much less skilled job than care and certainly much less responsibility.

I also, once again wish to stress that social care is not just for the elderly and care homes for many children and certainly adults are in need of receiving social care in home care, supported living, respite, hospices and more.

I agree the Government needs to do more for care but will they for they know the public support is not there, but many of the public are in denial for there will come a time when they themselves could well be in need of social care, but if something is not done urgently then social care could not be there when they themselves need it.

Also it needs to be said that for any deficit in social care more need is placed on the NHS, which the public do care about.

 

: Care homes are desperately short of staff – why no emergency UK visas for them? | Simon Jenkins | The Guardian

Vulnerable patient’s death at private hospital is a ‘scandal’, says mother | Hospitals | The Guardian

Yet another scandal regarding to persons with learning Disabilities, so why are these situations allowed to happen and why are there no prosecutions on the persons who allowed the scandals to occur, where is the accountability.

Where is the public outcry?

Where is the Government action?

What are the Legal Authorities doing?

What are the authorities doing about the supervision and monitoring of all the various areas which are involved in the caring of persons with Learning Disabilities?

So many What’s and Where’s, but are any being answered, I fear not and if not why.

Is Learning Disability and/or Autism really at the forefront of Safeguarding and if not why not?

Is this Government doing all it can to safeguard persons with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism and as any previous Governments done so? On all counts I regret the answer is no.

In the UK there are approximately 1.5 million people with a Learning Disability (2019), with approximately 1% of the UK population has autism

More information regarding Learning Disability in Yorkshire and Humber (2012)

In 2020 the Population of the UK was around 67 million

There is a NHS Learning Disability Register, please if you have a learning Disability or you have a relative with a Learning disability please ensure you or they are recorded on the Register

In Sheffield there is a local Sheffield Learning Disability Register please ensure if you are in Sheffield with a Learning Disability you are also on this register, you can register by using this form.

 

Source: Vulnerable patient’s death at private hospital is a ‘scandal’, says mother | Hospitals | The Guardian

Boris Johnson has created a ‘social care plan’ without any plan for social care | Frances Ryan | The Guardian

A very good article which has looked at many of the issues around Social Care and a great pity that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, MP did not have the benefit of the points in the article. However, even, if he had he would have discounted many, if not all for in his supposed good plan he has gone down political lines, instead of non-political lines and put Social Care and those in need of Social care and those working in Social Care first, rather than thinking too much re political concerns.

But, give him some benefit of thought for at least he has done something, which none of his predecessors have done be they Labour or Conservative, even though it is way insufficient. National Insurance (NI) has to be one avenue, but also does Capital Gains Tax and possibly Income Tax and Business Rates  or some other venture.

In  NI some consideration should have been give to increasing the paltry 2% for earnings above £150000 say to 14%.

In Business Rates look at bringing Multi-National Companies into line and cut back on the loopholes where they can reduce their entitlement to pay on their revised profits.

In Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax rates should be looked at to increase by 1% or 2%, with also the tax free allowances being substantially increased to offset any increased taxation on those on low incomes.

Also consideration should be considered to bring Social Care into line with the NHS Health Services as it too should be free at the point of delivery to counter the discrimination between the two.

Prescription Charges, together with Dental and Optician charges should also be abolished, as should the costs of some medications and also equipment required in health and social care settings.

Only when all of the above together with a minimum salary rate of £14 per hour for all care workers and austerity cuts be reversed to all Local Authorities.

Lets for once in the UK have a financial outlook for both health and Social Services which delivers what should be and not governed by political outlooks of any party, but to benefit those who have to rely on both Health and Social Care Services which we are all proud of.

 

Source: Boris Johnson has created a ‘social care plan’ without any plan for social care | Frances Ryan | The Guardian

Care workers in England leaving for Amazon and other better-paid jobs | Care workers | The Guardian

I have been forecasting this for many years, but no one was listening, especially the Government and the Government is still not listening.

Amazon and other organisations can afford to offer these salaries of over £13 per hour but the care profession can’t unless a massive increase in funding but brought in, so carers are being paid either the national |Living Wage of £

Social Care has always been insufficiently funded, meaning care workers have not been allowed to earn a salary more in keeping with the care work they do.

But the Government insisted in forcing Local Authorities to accept austerity measures, when there was insufficient areas in which they could make saving without cutting back on essential services. The poor, disabled and the sick depend on all these essential services in order for them to lead reasonable lives. and social care is a necessity for them.

By not having sufficient care staff, persons in need of care are not always receiving good quality care, if at all.

So care workers are having to survive on the National Living Wage of £8.91 or in some instances the Read Living Wage of £9.50 or varying rates in-between.  For people to come into the Care profession the starting rate should be £14.00 per hour and the differentials be maintained in the years to come.

Then the other areas should be looked at

sick pay arrangements

Holiday pay

travel expenses

unsocial hours compensation

and others

Also, please could people resist in thinking Social Care is only for the elderly and care homes, for it is not although the elderly may be, currently the majority. For social care is there for anyone, or should be, who needs it, be they children or adults and it will cover Home Care, Respite, Supported Living, Hospices, etc.

The Government should be funding Local Authorities to enable them to fund care workers salaries to £14 per hour as well as bring the Government Grants back to at least pre 2010 levels for other council spending. This would then ensure that Local Governments could provide services more fitting to the 21st Century rather than the 18th/19th century.

This all needs to be addressed immediately for by the promise of the end of the year could well be too late or is that what the Government is really wishing for, as by that time many unnecessary deaths could have occurred.

During all this Government dithering, it is causing more demands on NHS resources at a time when the NHS is still dealing with COVID and the lengthening waiting lists due to the many deferred instances for people requiring non-COVID procedures as well as all the increasing demands due to long COVID ailments and conditions.

 

 

Source: Care workers in England leaving for Amazon and other better-paid jobs | Care workers | The Guardian

National Insurance: Minister refuses to deny reports of tax hike for social care – BBC News

The justice secretary says social care must be properly funded but declines to “speculate” on plans.

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I completely agree that Social care should be properly funded and I would say, totally funded, but there is a problems, one of many.

Currently, is there sufficient funding to be funding back to 2010 levels which is around £10 billion, I fear not.

Then, it was not sufficient to provide all the Social Care required, as directed by the Assessments of Needs done in 2010 and funding has dropped considerably so many in need of Social Care or receiving no care or a bare, insufficient minimum.

But the problem is even deeper than that, as for many years Assessments of Need have not been sufficiently completed, as not all reasonable needs have been recorded, only those that the assessor felt would be funded. So, in affect, there is no written record of the total care needs that are required, even from 2010 and since then many more have not been recorded.

In fact, many in need of care have not been coming forward, until the situations reached a safeguarding situation and not even then, which has results in many persons suffering when they should not have been and for some the ultimate was the outcome, being deaths.

Any none covering of needs, will eventually cause even more demands on the NHS, so the continuous ignoring of the problems in Social Care has had dire effects on the NHS and will continue to do so for many years to come, even if sufficient funding is made immediately.

For Social Care can’t be looked on in isolation from health as they are so intermixed, lack of social care requiring more health involvement and with health continuing involvement as there is insufficient social care to allow discharges from health care. This causing many to be kept in hospital longer than should be or in some instances discharged before any social care has been organised, which in some respects could have caused some of the elderly discharges into Nursing Homes and the result being excess deaths from COVID-19.

To say this is now the 21st century, the complete lack of dealing with the Social Care crisis is in effect, bringing health and social care back to the 19th century or even earlier.

People in authority have to be brought to account, both currently and even more so, previously.

Funding is but one aspect, but there are many others, some being

a severe lack of people wishing to come to be employed in Social Care

Government interventions to severely restrict people wishing to come from outside the UK to work in Social Care

Abysmal rates of pay for the work undertaken and the responsibilities

Poor working conditions

In some instances the lack of dignity and respect by persons working in Social Care for the persons they are caring for

The lack of sufficient quality of care supervision by, not only, Care Providers but also the Statutory Authorities, which includes Local Authorities and CQC(Care Quality Commission) which has been shown in Winterbourne Scandal, and many more since.

Much needs to be done, but there is very little action being taken currently and this needs to change immediately, for it appears this Government are happy to see deaths to occur as this reduces the amount of persons needing to be looked after.

 

Source: National Insurance: Minister refuses to deny reports of tax hike for social care – BBC News

Tax rise for 25 million to pay for social care

While any rises in taxes is never good news, Social Care needs to be a special case, for it has been in crisis for far to long and is also affecting more calls on the NHS at a time when everything needs to be done to save the NHS also.

For Social Care is a care service which is just as important as the NHS, if not even more so and with the effects of Long COVID will be for many more years to come.

Social Care has for many years not been seen by many as a deserving service, especially in Governments and the media, who both have gone out of their way to promote Social Care in a very bad light and those you have to call upon Social Care.

Anyone of us could through no fault of our own have cause to access Social Care, but many will never have to, but more and more persons are now having no choice but to do so.

But it is not just about persons accessing Social Care, as people working in Social Care also need to be considered for, they too have not been seriously considered.

Be it

1. the abysmal salary they receive
2. their working conditions, unsocial hours, many various venues
3. lack of travel expenses
4. lack of some holiday pay
5. no sickness benefits
6. lack of persons willing to come into the profession, causing those that do to work more hours than they should for their own health and wellbeing
7. no benefits for working official Bank Holidays
8. Government restrictions on who can come into the UK to work in Social Care, to supplement the UK workforce, these restrictions are not great for persons willing to come to the UK to work. Especially when working in Social Care is classed as unskilled work, which it is certainly not. You need to have caring values, be very responsible, willing to work in various situations, in many instances on your own. Be receptive to the needs and choices of the person for whom they are caring for. Be respective to a person’s home and their possessions.
9. And many others

The whole Government attitude to Social Care needs to be improved. As does the belief that Social Care is only for the elderly, for it is certainly not. While the elderly may, currently, be the majority needing care, care is also required for both children and adults of all ages and varying conditions, be it mental health, physical disabilities, Learning disabilities and Autism, poor health and many others.

These changes and many others need to be done, and done urgently for by not doing so will and is bring forward many Safeguarding issues.

Source: Tax rise for 25 million to pay for social care

People with learning disabilities ‘failed again’ as CQC closes unit over abuse | Nursing Times

Yet again persons with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism are being let down by the system, a system that due to many years of underfunding is far from ‘fit for purpose’. But underfunding should not be used as an excuse for cruelty and abuse, for this is purely down to management and the standard of carers employed.

However, as the article states if Social Care was sufficiently funded persons could live in their own communities and not be locked away in these , so called, hospitals, for that is a disgrace for they are not hospitals, but more like . But, it is also wrong to say prisons, for prisons would not be allowed to cause suffering in these ways.

What needs to occur is for this Government make good their promises and promises of many previous Governments to once and for all put Social Care on a very secure financial footing. For it is my belief that Social Care has never been sufficiently funded, but 10 years of austerity cuts and then going on 2 years of COVID have caused many more problems for social care, when one would have expected it could not get worse. But much worse is has become, due to many years of Government inactivity with regards to social care.

Unfortunately social care does not receive a good press, for many in the population feel that spending on social care is a waste of money, just because they fail to see the need for social care. This is compounded by government actions in many areas, including the benefits system and how the majority of the media view social care and the persons in need of social care. That is, until a scandal is uncovered, but it is the lead to the scandal which is also of concern. So decrying social care at every opportunity leads to the scandals in the first place.

A ‘White Paper’ on Social care has been promised by many UK governments, but to date not one has delivered. Even when a White Paper is published it may not be the solution, for it will be coming from a Government which has shown many times it cares nothing for social care and the persons who are in need of receiving social care.

So the attitudes of many within the UK, or just England have to improve. For until they do the Human Rights of Persons with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism will not be adhered to.

 

Source: People with learning disabilities ‘failed again’ as CQC closes unit over abuse | Nursing Times