Learning Disability & Autism and the inclusion of Social Care into Health

I attended the   Staying Healthy – Health & Wellbeing Conference 27 March 2023 and the presentations gave insight to many good works occurring, but, unfortunately, there was little mention of social care and social care and health have to be so interlinked that you can’t see the join and it is imperative that both survive intact for both to survive to any degree, where one fails the other will follow. So, I believe a lost opportunity was lost by NHS England. Both areas are extremely short of funding and many other resources, staffing so much so, and I believe social care even more so than health, which is not saying the shortages in health are not detrimental, but so much more so in social care. This includes all areas of social care including social workers and even more so care workers, not just care homes, but all areas for children and adults of which home care and supported living are just 2 but many others. Both areas are desperately short of funding, social care so much more than health. In both areas the blame is at the door of government, this one and all previous and as see any forthcoming governments. Social care has, as all Local Authority funded areas of which social care is one of many, have since 2010 been penalised by governments through austerity cuts. But in fact social care has never been really funded by any governments and this is so evident with this current government, for in the few instances where social care is mentioned the amount said to be given are so way short of what is really required. To make any real difference £12 billion is required, the promised £3 billion, see what The King’s fund says, but as I say so much more is required now, not next year for that could well be too late. Then sustained funding for all years to come. Without a sustainable and effective social care the NHS has no hope to survive so both social care and the NHS will fail all down to having no ‘listening’ government. In effect government does not care about the NHS and in reality can’t see any need for social care. The government is not only blinkered, it just does not care because it has no thoughts what soever for persons in need of social care. Similarly, to how they view persons on welfare benefits, but so much worse, when you wouldn’t have thought that possible. A caring and listening government is required by us all, but will we ever get one, I so hope so, but I can’t see one coming in the near future. Please see the agenda for the NHS England conference. Part of the problem was not including social care in the creation of the NHS in 1948, but then, as is now social care was not considered important, the big difference was that was due to ignorance, but today with so much information available, it is not really ignorance, but total government indifference. With Learning Disability (LD) and Autism there is so much information available and reported to the Department of Health and Social Care, (DHSC) one being the LeDeR programme since 2016, which is the reporting of the early deaths of persons with LD. As I said this is reported to the DHSC, but at the start of the COVID-19 vaccination programme although the evidence of persons with LD & Autism were susceptible to the effects of COVID they were not originally placed as a priority in the programme, just shows how this government views disability. Even now there is no alternative to the vaccination programme, so persons who are needle averse still can’t be vaccinated and effectively no blood tests be taken on which much medical diagnosis is a starting point of. While needle phobia is generally not readily known about there are signification numbers of persons affected and this incidence could well be larger in persons with LD and autism So much more needs to be done and the time to do it is getting forever shorter.

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Councils in England facing funding gaps plan to cut special needs support | Special educational needs | The Guardian

So funding for Social Care is again in the news and once again the news is not good.

You do not need to be a genius to understand that funding for Social Care is nowhere near sufficient , be it for children or adults and how could it be for since 2010 there was 10 years of austerity cuts to Local Authorities and since the additional costs due to COVID, ay a time when need is increasing.

For is there any a time when need is not increasing, but the Government, this current one and many previous, are unable to understand, or more likely unwilling to understand how austerity cuts will lead to poorer services.

It was said savings could be made from making savings but any savings, if there were ever any have been long gone.

What appeared to be where saving could be made was, in many respects from areas where there was good reasons the areas to be there, for they were there to be used as required. Many examples of this has appeared during COVID, PPE for one and bed capacity for another, although the later could be more to health than social care, but both are very interrelated, so a problem in one will cause problems in the other.

Social Care has always been the poor relation when compared to health and its need has never been so clear as that of health. But the need is there greatly and any lack of need capacity will always have a bearing on health care delivery.

Another reason for social care not being fully recognised is that until you neeed it you, in most instances, can’t see the need for it to be there, but if it is not there when needed then that has serious consecquenses for the people in need of social care. Care that can’t be delayed so, to ensure it is then saving have to be made elsewhere, but that, in turn, creates a shortage from where it has been taken.

For there is no ‘pot of gold’ at the end of a Rainbow.

So send provision will be cut, which then means the ‘Local Offer‘ will not be met.

This is a complete disaster to Children with Special Needs and there families and one where there is no chance fror recovery to be made.

This is disgraceful in a country such as England.

Source: Councils in England facing funding gaps plan to cut special needs support | Special educational needs | The Guardian

This has been a hard year for disabled people. We must do better in 2021

Well done to the  APPG for Disability, however a word of caution for a promise from Boris does not mean it will be fulfilled, for what about his promise in Downing Street in his winning electoral speech in 2019.

For here he promised to solve the crisis in Social care and now a year after the fulfilment of this promise is still awaited.

So, what is a promise from Boris, just another statement, when there is no intention to keep.

To remind him of his promise I created the petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care,

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care.

Perhaps the APPG for Disability  should also create such a petition?

Meantime, I would appreciate your support for my petition.

 

Source: This has been a hard year for disabled people. We must do better in 2021

Most providers face going into red this winter without extra Covid social care funding, warns ADASS | Community Care

Social care faces a “dangerous scenario” of most care providers going into the red this winter unless the government gives councils more funding to support them manage the impact of Covid-19.

That was the warning from Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) president James Bullion, in an appearance before the House of Commons health and social care select committee yesterday.

ADASS estimated that one-third of providers were currently making a loss because of the additional costs from Covid-19 – including personal protective equipment and covering staff sickness – and reduced income as a result of service reductions, Bullion told MPs.

This is despite councils stepping in to cover costs, making use of the £3.7bn in un-ringfenced funding allocated to authorities by government to meet the costs of the coronavirus.

 

Source: Most providers face going into red this winter without extra Covid social care funding, warns ADASS | Community Care

 

 

Care England submits evidence to Health and Social Care Select Committee’s latest inquiry on funding and workforce | Care Industry News

Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has submitted written evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee.

Source: Care England submits evidence to Health and Social Care Select Committee’s latest inquiry on funding and workforce | Care Industry News

 

Disabled People Missing Social Side Of Sport : Same Difference

In many situations the situations regarding disabled people are not taken into account, as usually the only thought is about ‘normality’, which really means nothing because what is normal.

In effect ‘normal. is referenced to the Majority’ but tat could be just 50.1%, only a slight majority.

All aspects of life should be taken into account, no matter what the percentage is.

Also for disabled people to be equal, will most likely require reasonable adjustments to be made, but what is a reasonable adjustment, well it could be a minor or even a major adjustment, for it should be what ever it takes to allow all persons to do the same or similar to others, otherwise it is a form of discrimination.

Most of us take most things for granted, but not in the case of a person with disabilities, with disabilities which could have been from birth or acquired.

But many persons just think of themselves and hardly ever about others.

Such as, Social Distancing, which a few are not abiding by,, using the excuse of Dominic Cummings. But again social distancing is not just about one individual, but all individuals.

You may not be bothered if you get COVID-19, but many other people will be bothered if they get it or their friends and family.

Selfishness is not an excuse and we should all be doing what is best for the country not just certain individuals.

Whether Dominic Cummings did or not go against the principles of Social Distancing and self-isolation is not the consideration, what is being done by you and him is the problem and no one should be doing anything which could cause harm or distress to others.

So back to sport, it may not be possible to fully include everyone, but the consideration should be there, which currently I doubt that it is, for t appears disabled people are the great unseen by, especially this Government and many others within the UK.

Many services which disabled people and others, who may be vulnerable, are often forgotten about either accidentally or even worse deliberately and unfortunately I believe the Government is within the latter.

You only have to look at Social Care to prove this, as Social Care is the forgotten health service and if not seriously considered by this Government could well disappear to a large extent, which would have serious consequences for the NHS, irrespective of a second wave of COVID-19 or not.

See my petition, solve the crisis in Social Care, https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care . with further information, https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aq2MsYduiazgnjzVUnu4dsyHKk4u?e=6HpAC0

Same Difference

For many, the easing of restrictions to permit “unlimited exercise” and allow some activities such as golf and tennis to resume came as a relief.

But close contact sports are still off-limits, as are swimming pools and leisure centres. For some, their swimming clubs, football teams or running groups were more than about keeping fit, they were a lifeline to them. How are they coping?

Video calls help fill the social gap

William Castle plays in goal for Northampton Town FC multi-disabled football club.

The 43-year-old was diagnosed with autism almost a decade ago and found playing football gave him an opportunity to meet people and make friends.

It was his main form of exercise too.

But with social distancing measures in place, there has been no Friday weekly training nor monthly trips to Oxford where they play matches.

He said: “Football is a lifeline to me, I get to…

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£2.9 billion funding to strengthen care for the vulnerable : GOV.UK

The funding will help patients who no longer need urgent hospital treatment to return home, making at least 15,000 beds available during the coronavirus outbreak.

Published 19 March 2020

From:

Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

The funding comes from the £5 billion COVID-19 fund announced by the Chancellor in last week’s budget.

£1.6 billion will go to local authorities to help them respond to other coronavirus (COVID-19) pressures across all the services they deliver. This includes increasing support for the adult social care workforce and for services helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.

£1.3 billion will be used to enhance the NHS discharge process so patients who no longer need urgent treatment can return home safely and quickly.

The funding will cover the follow-on care costs for adults in social care, or people who need additional support, when they are out of hospital and back in their homes, community settings, or care settings.

Enhancing the NHS discharge process will help free up 15,000 hospital beds across England and ensure more staff have capacity to treat people needing urgent care, including those being cared for with coronavirus.

This funding is part of the government’s commitment to ensure NHS and social care system, and other public services, have all the resources they need during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government will continue to monitor pressures in the NHS and local government and will keep reviewing future funding.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Our NHS and social care colleagues are at the heart of protecting the most vulnerable during the coronavirus outbreak, and the whole country is tremendously grateful for their commitment during this challenging time.

This funding will help the NHS and social care services in our communities to rise to this once in a generation challenge by allowing the NHS to do what it needs to, and help move people out of hospital as soon as possible to get them back home with the right support.

We are clear that we will do whatever it takes to protect lives and protect our NHS.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

I’ve been clear that the NHS and other vital public services will receive whatever they need to protect people from coronavirus.

Our £5 billion budget response fund is now being used to free up more beds in hospitals and ensure some of our most vulnerable people are getting the care they need. The government will continue to lay out comprehensive and coordinated responses to get this country through this situation.

Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick said:

The work of local authorities to deliver social care and other vital public services has never been more important than it is now – and will be – in the days and weeks ahead.

That’s why we’re giving local councils £1.6 billion of additional funding to spend where it’s needed most, to ensure they can meet the cost of the increased demand for social care, and continue to protect the most vulnerable people in society.

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Source: £2.9 billion funding to strengthen care for the vulnerable : GOV.UK

So the Government has provided £1.6 billion of the £2.9 billion to Social Care, but only in relation to COVID-19., whereas Social Care has been short of fund for as long as I can remember, at least 40 years, and even more so over the last 10 years due to austerity cuts to Local Authorities.

This is at a time when the increase in need for Social Care has been rising by, at least, 5%, while austerity cuts have reduced funding by, at least, 20%.

Social Care has been in some form of crisis for many years, but without any Government doing anything to solve the crisis. A crisis not being solved will only get worse, which is what has and is being happening, thereby care for the most vulnerable within the UK is getting worse.

1. lack of money to solve the crisis
2. lack of persons willing to come into the care profession in sufficient numbers to provide, at least, adequate care
3. virtually every care provider are short of care staff
4. when money is short parts of service is reduced, at times this could be with regards to sufficient training or sufficient quality training, which in times affects the quality of care being given
5. term and condition of staff working within the care profession
6. care being limited to those in need of care who are deemed to be in need of substantial or critical care. Those in need of moderate care, will most likely be receiving no care to speak of
7. providers are in the process of deciding whether they can realistically retain to be in the care profession or have already left.

This is making the prospects of care being available now and in the future to be very unsure, while this in turn means that the already vulnerable will become even more so, thus creating major safeguarding situations.

The has come when this crisis needs to be dealt with URGENTLY, but the Government appears to be not interested, yes, the do have COVID-19 to deal with and there is also Brexit, yes Brexit, as while not in the news, the time before the final move from the EU is fast approaching, being the year end.

So have the Government the time to deal with the Social Care crisis, well I say whether they have or not, they need to make time, for if the crisis is left to run the UK will not have any Social Care, or Social Care to speak of.

Thereby the vulnerable within the UK will be left to suffer, to the extent that many will die, not only the vulnerable, but also the other members in their families.

These events will be at the door of this Government, but also at the media, who have , like the Government, gone out of their way to provide an unfavourable view of the most vulnerable within the UK.

So who are the vulnerable;

persons with disabilities, both children and adults

elderly persons

the long-term sick

the poor

and others

Most of the above will qualify to be vulnerable in more than one way.

How is this being done?

the Governments decimation of the welfare system

the Governments comments about vulnerable persons and how these comments and vulnerable persons are portrayed in the Media

the lack of and reduction of finance being made available to the care profession

the abysmal salaries paid to people working in the care profession

and many others

Social Care is in dire need of a substantial cash investment by the Government in the range, of at least, £10 Billion, which would go some way to bring the profession back to how it was in 2010.

However, even in 2010, the cash investment was way short of the amount required.

For years, many, if not all Local Authorities have not being provider the full care package people in need of care require.

Yes, the  Local Authorities have been undertaking the required Assessments of Need, but have only been recording in these assessments the amount and type of care which the funding they have will provide, while the assessments should have been recording the full extent and type of care that was needed. The care should then have been assessed for funding and any care which could not have been provided through lack of funding should have been so recorded. While only the care which could be funded was recorded.

This means that the total amount of funding that Local Authorities really are in need of will now not be known, so when funding is made available, if it is ever will be, will never be sufficient.

This is all not boding well for the sustainability of Social Care and for vulnerable people.

This all means that my petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care, https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care, is still relevant, perhaps, even more so.

For further information please see;

Solve the crisis in Social Care 5

Solving the crisis in Social Care

Social Care is just as important as Health Care, but does not receive the support is should do.

With this in mind please could I mention that the forthcoming Budget is an important opportunity to address the crucial issue of funding for Social Care, but will it.

Boris has promised, but will he keep his promise and even if money is made available will it be sufficient.

Boris has now mentioned it will take 5 years to get the funding, Social Care can not wait that long.

Boris needs to be told this is not good enough, so it is essential we keep the pressure on Boris and my petition ‘Solve the crisis in Social Care could be the means.

Please see below

We now have the New Year 2020.

However, if the ‘Crisis in Social Care’ is not Solved soon there will not be many more New Years for the care, required for persons in need of care, to be provided by Local Authorities due to their lack of funding. This will then have a much greater impact on health care provision, which is itself in crisis.

I have therefore created my latest petition, please follow the link

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care

For more information please follow the link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w0f2skyxy37udqb/Solve%20the%20crisis%20in%20Social%20Care.docx?dl=0

This Petition needs You, please sign to show your support for you will not know when you or someone in your family will need social care.

Why we need a publicly owned care service | We Own It

The ‘problem of social care’ is currently perceived to be a problem of funding. As such, the funding question dominates policy-thinking and public debate. The central concern of this article, however, is broader. It focuses on the essential nature of social care, particularly its structure, quality and sectoral location – in addition to funding.

Key points about current social care:

• Social care is almost entirely provided by the private sector, for profit.
• Private provision means the whim of the market determines distribution, type and quality. This results in patchy distribution, flourishing in some wealthy areas, shortages in others, with widespread evidence of unmet needs, poor quality of care and lamentable employment conditions.
• Unlike care and treatment in the NHS, social care is not free at the point of use. Individuals requiring social care (as noted, almost all privately provided), are means tested. Those with assets over £23,250 are disqualified from receiving it free.

This submission argues the case for bringing social care into the public sector to remedy these failings.

The case for taking social care into public control:

1.      Vision:

Social care must be a service which is available to all citizens, based on individual needs, in settings of their choice. The ethos of public service – of fairness and high standards (for both service users and the workforce which provides the service) – should be at its heart.  To achieve this, and as an essential public service, it has to be located within the public sector, just like the NHS. The notion of profit is alien to this vision and should be ruled out entirely.

2.      Structure:

• The vision can only be put into effect with major structural change.
• Currently most social care (around 90%) is in the hands of private providers (residential care homes – provided by private companies or a very small number of charities; domiciliary (home) care – provided by private agencies).
• Private providers range from small, single (often family) owner businesses to large companies often owned by hedge funds. Many have recently gone out of business, causing major problems for clients and local councils who have a legal duty to ensure those with eligible needs receive the care for which they qualify.
• Councils themselves, for the most part, are no longer service providers.
• Care services for individuals needing care are either a) commissioned and paid for by local councils or b) selected and paid for by individuals who don’t pass the means test (self-funders).
• The distribution of provision is highly variable geographically with huge financial implications for councils: in some council areas over 50% of clients are self-funding, with councils financially responsible for the remaining proportion; in others, fewer than 10% are self-funding, with councils financially responsible for up to 90% of those with care needs in their areas.  Thus there is a ‘post code lottery’ in access and cost for both individuals and councils.
• In the future, the aim instead should be to achieve public sector provision consisting of a mix of residential and nursing care homes, home care, village living with a mix of facilities, access to which becomes available as individuals’ care needs increase – and other innovative schemes which may come along.  Provision should be developed as needed, shaped by forward planning based on a continuous analysis of demographic trends.
• As long as councils retain statutory responsibility for social care, central government must guarantee adequate funding, thus ending the way in which it can currently squeeze local government at whim to the extent where councils can no longer fulfil their legal obligations to their residents. ‘A contract of care’ between government and people is required.
• Alternatively, radical change might foresee a funding system not unlike that for the NHS with a transfer from local to national funding.

 

Source: Why we need a publicly owned care service | We Own It

Local authorities failing to meet dementia care targets | Care Industry News

Today, Healthwatch England has published new data showing that overstretched councils across England are struggling to meet key legal duties in social care services for people with dementia.

The Care Act, which came into force in April 2015, says that councils must ensure that their social care services are responsive to people’s specific needs. To do this, they must review people’s care plans at least once a year.

The new figures, collected under the Freedom of Information Act, show that councils are falling short of this duty and that people with dementia are worst affected.

We asked the 152 councils with social care responsibilities in England questions about reviews and reassessments for people with dementia. 97 councils provided the following information:

• Only 45% of people with dementia who use social care got a care review in 2017/18. NHS Digital report that the figure for all care users is 51%.
• One-quarter of people with dementia had to have an urgent, or unplanned review because an emergency or sudden change of circumstance meant their support needs had changed.

When a review finds that someone’s needs have changed significantly, it should trigger a full reassessment of their needs. We found that:

• 65% of completed reviews led to a full reassessment.
• Over half (57%) of reassessments resulted in no change to the person’s care.
• 8% of reassessments led to a decrease in funding.
• The remaining 34% saw an increase in funding.

Each person’s experience of dementia is unique, symptoms affect everyone differently. Often people’s condition can deteriorate quickly or fluctuate rapidly. If reviews are not in place, people with dementia will not get the care they need, often friends and family will have to step in to pick up the pieces that formal social care cannot.

2017/18 one third of people who use dementia support services got no review at all.

 

Source: Local authorities failing to meet dementia care targets | Care Industry News