The Conservative Party doesn’t want to be saved

This is so true for they know what is coming and have  no ideas how to do so, that is if they even if they wished to solve it, which they don’t.

Labour also have a good idea what is coming, and they perhaps have no idea how to solve it and maybe no wish to do so, but they most likely will have no choice for the UK wants change and how our General Elections are structured Labour is the only real alternative, would be somewhat different if we had Proportional Representation (PR), but we don’t and neither the Conservative or Labour Parties will support it because with PR their own power will diminish as PR will most likely bring virtually constant minority governments or never real majority governments and the latter is what both the Conservative and Labour Parties so desire.

So, Labour have the election virtually in their hands, unless they do wish to lose, but then that would not be good for the UK, but then will Labour be, who knows, but surely they should have the chance, even if they may not wish to have the chance for winning power is really the ‘posioned chalice‘.

It would severe the Tories right, if they did win the 2024 General Election, but the UK deserves so much better, but will it be achieved no matter whether Labour or Conservatives win, or it is a minority government for so much is wrong, and will the UK ever recover?

Now that is the question, which many wish to answer, but will recovery be what we all wish for or will the recovery work out worse, if that is at all possible. That will not be good for the majority of us and especially so, for the poor, ill and disabled, who do really need for the UK to be so much better, but never appears to be.

For the state of the UK just makes them more poor and ill and persons will disabilities so much worse off, except the 1-4% rich, who come out tops no matter whatever the results are. It is always the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer, no matter where in the World you are, so it is not just the UK, but the world over.

For power corrupts and then there is no respect for human rights and safeguarding and totally no respect for anyone.

 

Source: The Conservative Party doesn’t want to be saved

Most home care providers have seen fall in number of hours commissioned by councils – survey – Community Care

Most home care providers have seen a fall in the number of hours of care councils have commissioned from them, research has found. Half of agencies (48%) reported a fall of 25% in the number of hours of care available to them to deliver, with a further 32% reporting decreases of less than this, found …

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This has been predicted for many years and while some local authorities (LAs) can be accused of some of the blame and some care providers, much of the blame is on the government.

LAs have been purposely kept short of funding, well before 2010, but so much more so since then due to the Tory imposed austerity cuts, so less financing has been available to all areas under the control of LAs.

I say care providers as some have not been looking after their carers as best as they could, some pay better than others, but all are guilty of not providing the best terms and conditions of employment they could. Holidays is one point in question as most bank holidays have not been recognised as such and just treated as another working day, no real sick pay and travel expenses way insufficient and more, but some of this could be down to the rates they receive from LAs. but the standard and degrees of training is also a factor.

LAs have been trying to eck out funding and contracts as best they could, but here many LAs could have done better. But the real villain is the government due to starving LAs of finance and this also reflects on the numbers of social workers available and to some degrees their training as well, as this reflects the ability to do care assessments both in quantity and quality.

The continued outlook for social care is far from good and this has serious impacts on the NHS, where more demands will be imposed. This is not just the ‘beds’ crisis, due to lack of social care, but increased health needs due to lack of social care for persons in need of social care thereby increasing their ability to deal with their own health needs. But this also extends to their families whose own health needs will increase with their own health deterioration as they will be supplementing more caring from families to mitigate the lack of social care from LAs and care providers.

The outlook for both social care with LAs, Care providers, care workers, those in need of care, their families and the NHS is indeed very bleak and will get much worse.

The government at least needs to reverse its austerity programmes, otherwise, we will all suffer very much more.

 

Source: Most home care providers have seen fall in number of hours commissioned by councils – survey – Community Care

Morning Call: Time to turn on the Starm

Inside: Labour wants to fix the NHS. Doesn’t everyone?

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I have lived and breathed social care for 39 years for my now departed daughter (October 2022) and cared for her with my wife, who sadly died (September 2020), so I have been there and done that, not only on a personal family basis, but on behalf of other carers in Sheffield through also being involved, with many other carers and disability organisations and having my own network of Family Carers who I keep in touch with on a regualar basis, in most instances weekly through my own newsletter.

So, yes, we all want the NHS to be fixed, but how is part of the problem and does any politician really understand the NHS and the problems, as before anything can be fixed one has to fully understand all of the problems and that is the start of the problem with all politicians.

Yes, Starmer has relations in the NHS, but do they fully understand all of the problems or only some of the problems within their own areas. While the NHS is supposed to be National, in many respects it is not, for in many it is Local with the local ICBs (Integrated Care Boards) endeavouring to look at not just the NHS, but also social care.

I mention social care for there is and has been a drive to integrate the two, but that is far from easy. With social care being under Local Authorities and health under local health authorities. Then within each there are further splits.

In health there are

1. hospitals
2. community health
3. primary care (GPs)

In each of the above there is public and private and in many instances a mixture of the 2 in many areas.

In health take GPs, the GP practice is NHS public, but GPs are self-employed, so while having a degree of NHS contract for the practice there are technically private in some degree. Similar to dentistry, but dentistry is in a so much worse state than GP practices, but how long will it be for GP practices to be in the same state as dentistry.

But in other areas of health there is a mix of public and private to some degree.

Now with social care there is also public and private, public is generally social workers, who are usually employed by Local Authorities, (LAs), but maybe not always so.

But care workers are generals employed through Private providers, but these providers get their main funding from LAs, with some from health through Continuing Health Care, (CHC). The providers then use this funding to provide social care to persons in need of social care either through contracts directly with the persons or some through contracts with LAs. But funding of LAs has been severely restricted through Tory Austerity Cuts since 2010 and to a very large extent still. This has led to LAs being extremely short of funding in an increasing Market, not only in social care, but all other essential service which should be provided by or through LAs.

Care workers are one of the professions who are paid the least in the UK, but there are others, agricultural workers and hospitality workers to name 2 more, but there will be others.

As in the NHS there are extreme staff shortages in social care, including social workers, but so much more so with care workers.

Many carer workers are only on or just above the National Living Wage of £10.42 per hour and with so many responsibilities, while they could be earning £4/5 per hour more in other occupations, such as Supermarkets, with much less responsibilities.

Many people assume that care workers only help to wash and dress people in need of care, toilet, and meal preparation, but the responsibilities are so much more, as they have to respect the choice and dignity of the persons they care for, respect the possessions and property of the person they care for, manage in many instances their finances and medication, manage the persons social outings, their safeguarding, provide empathy and support when and when needed and so much more.

So being a care worker is not as it is believed an unskilled profession for it should be and needs to be a highly skilled profession and they should be paid accordingly. By not doing so this is causing the shortages in staffing, but there is also insufficient travel expenses, recognition of holidays, including Bank Holidays, no sick pay except SSP (Statutory Sick Pay), which again is so insufficient and so much more.

As well as receiving carers from care providers, a person in need of care can apply to their LA to receive a Direct Payment and similarly with CHC (Personal Health Budget), (PHB).If you are successful in your application you can if you wish to employ your own carers, but you will need to due this yourself, but help may be available. Costs of recruiting could be included in the Direct Payment and costs related to payments will be be, but the rate of pay will need to be agreed with your LA or CHC, even costs to get an organisation to do so even the payroll and salary payments, all of which will be included in the Direct Payment or PHB, but if you wish you can do some or all of this yourself. However, the rates of pay will most likely mirror those which care providers pay their staff, so a major problem will be recruiting and sustaining, as it is for care providers.

Some people will say that care providers profit from the funding they receive from LAs, but that could have been so, but now is most unlikely and from a Direct Payment or PHB profiting is illegal and the accounts you hold or an organisation will be audited and at very regular intervals, at least half yearly and maybe earlier, especially from the outset of granting the payments.

This crisis in social care has a large bearing on the crisis in the NHS for it is leading to increasing health deteriorations through lack of social care, insufficient social care so patient discharges from hospitals are seriously delayed, this then leads to an inability for patients from A&E to be transferred to wards, so blocking new patients from waiting ambulances, which leads to insufficient ambulances to pick up other people in need of health care. But there is so much more.

I have only highlighted some of the problems in both social care and the NHS, but it goes so much deeper. So does Starmer understand the problems, do any politicans understand any of the problems, I do seriously doubt it.

Pushing funding down the road has gone on for far too long, Boris promised in 2019, now Rishi has push it further down to 2025, can social care funding wait that long, I so doubt it. Then when it comes will it be sufficient, well the real answer is a resounding no, for to be rally effective social care needs £12 billion now and not the little £millions the Tories promised and then halved it to then delay until 2025.

Starmer has said he will take steps to withdraw ‘Non-Dom status’ and yes, I agree, but this will only bring in around £3 billion and he has stated this is for the NHS, even if he had stated social care and NHS, it would not only be so insufficient, most, if not all would go to the NHS.

The NHS can’t survive without social care and social care can’t without the NHS, so integration is so essential, but will it be effectively achieved, I so doubt it.

1948 was a great year for that was when our great NHS was created and was it so welcome and needed, well yes, is the only answer. But a grave mistake was made and that was not including social care directly within the NHS, with each having it dependence on each other it makes sense to run it under one umbrella.

I say umbrella for the organisation would have been massive then and certainly so massive now, but there would have not been the infighting over who funds what between LAs and the NHS which there is currently and has been for years and in many respects duplications of management, staff and much more. Duplications have costs, so why pay twice for something much similar.

But in 1948 social care was seen as extensive as it is now, but then neither was the NHS. Since 1948 there have been great advances in medical understandings leading to many conditions where persons would not have survived, now have a good chance to do so. This has also lead to many more persons with disabilities living longer and many more disabilities being found, this is all welcome progression. Due to medical advances all of us are living longer, and again this creates greater demands on social care and the NHS.

So demand for social care and the NHS has not stood still and greatly increased while funding in real terms has been reducing, now does any of that make sense, well no, funding has to increase with demand and really well in front of demand.

Some may say where are families in all this with social care, well unlike what some government  Ministers have and are may be still saying Families have been doing all they can and in many instances so much more, in that their own health starts to deteriorate, causing more demands on social care and the NHS.

Do you kown that families carers are currently (2021) saving the UK £193 billion how much more can they do, well they will do but causing much more health deteriorations.

These are just some of the areas in social care and the NHS, so I very much doubt Starmer or anyother politican know anywhere near the problems and so can’t say they do, but they do because they are either incapable or unwilling to understand the problems.

Social care and the NHS are in the hands of these politicians, but I very much doubt they are anywhere near safe hands.

Good luck for we all very much need it, but so doubtful it will ever come.

 

Source: Morning Call: Time to turn on the Starm

Sir Keir Starmer on “Starmerism” | The Economist

An interview with the leader of Britain’s Labour Party

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Yes, a good question, ‘What does Sir Keir Starmer stand for, but what is the answer and will we ever find out?

From what I see and hear, I very much doubt we will, for I believe he is just much of the same, just in a Party of a different colour, but still ‘pulling the wool’ over the eyes of the UK population.

An extract from the article introduction is ‘The second element is an embrace of what Janet Yellen, the American treasury secretary, calls “modern supply-side economics”. To improve living standards and fund public services, Britain’s productivity crisis needs to be turned around through planning reform, fixing health care and child care, and an interventionist industrial strategy. Combined, it’s a very tall order.’

Yes, that is good as far as it goes, but it does need to go much further, but will it?

We need an education system that is fit for the 21st and leading into the 22nd century, for currently, in many respects it is stuck in the 18th and 19th centuries. Yes, we need to educate children for further education after leaving school, but currently this is purely focused on pushing children through exams, which in many respects only provides for going to University and then not really fully. But it does not educate children for life outside of organised education, the education to live.

Many children in schools will never go to university, even if they really wish to, for many don’t, but the education system just passes them by. The system is geared, mainly to teach all in a similar nature, when, in fact, all children are not similar, as there are many varying degrees of difference and the system should be able to adapt to children and not children adapt to the system.

But, systems rule the UK and in fact many other countries, for systems exist wherever you go and they all, mostly, are totally inflexible and therefore don’t take into account the many varying differences in everyone. To be accountable to all every system needs to be flexible and continue to be flexible.

Yes, living standards for many have to be improved for no one in the UK should be in a place where they can’t afford to live. This means the UK welfare benefit systems have to be there to ensure everyone can live, therefore they should not be there to penalise, which in many instances they do today. Going through the processes it comes across that the processes are there to ‘catch you out’ rather than there to provide a means of help. Yes, there has to be means to reduce fraud, but is it really as serious as is made out and if it is just shows that the criminals are more intelligent than those creating the systems. But the criminals are in a very small minority, but everyone is penalised for this minority.

The levels of welfare benefit have to be improved so that people in receipt of them can afford to live. We have the National Living Wage, which in reality is not a living wage, but welfare benefits are way short of the National Living Wage. Then, if it is a living wage, why is it taxable, for any deductions, by the name makes it not a living wage. So the basic tax-free income level needs to be increased to the National Living Wage and this has not been increase since 2021, which is a disgrace. Also, all tax thresholds need to be increased, with maybe at least another tax rate of around 47% on income over £500,000. Yes, this is going to be expensive, but including a new tax band would cover some of the expense and I also I do agree with getting rid of the Non-dom tax status. But also, ensure all are paying their taxes and this includes all multi-national organisations and the Rich.

There was mention of fixing Health care and child care, but, no mention of fixing social care, for while health and child care does need fixing so does all social care for both children and all adults and this is so very urgently required, for it has been ‘kicked down the road’ for too many years and is now in a very serious state and if not fully funded so very soon could, to all intents and purposes disappear for ever. Unfortunately many, even in government believe that social care is just for the elderly, which it is not. It is surprising it has already not already disappeared, but for many it already as. Family carers have been doing all they can to counter the effects of lack of social care, to an extent saving the UK in 2021 £193 billion up from £132 in 2015.

In doing so the health of family carers has also deteriorated and in doing so, more is needed, not only for whom they care for, but also family carers themselves. For while caring, the health of themselves as family carers is not that what they look after, for concentrating on caring for their relatives is their main concern.

Any lack of social care has many effects on the NHS and to a large extent, is one of the major reasons of the crisis in the NHS and is so responsible for much of the health crisis. If social care is not dealt with quickly then we will not only be saying goodbye to social care, but to a major extent, much of the NHS.

Much of social care is funded through Local Authorities (LAs) as are many other essential services and yes, social care is a very essential service, but not viewed as such. This is down to the complete lack of any government interventions, not only by this government, but all previous governments. With all the banter from Sir Keir Starmer MP not once have I heard from him or any of his Shadow ministers, especially so the shadow health and Social Minister Wes Streeting MP, any mention of Social Care, especially the funding of, not that much different from the Health and Social Care Minister Steve Barclay MP.

For social care alone there is urgent need of funding of around £12 billion and then continued, sustainable funding for many years to come, along with the additional funding for the NHS.

But, LAs have been subjected to, from 2010 severe austerity cuts from Tory governments, which has left LAs in serious loss of funding to fund any essential services they are responsible for, let alone social care. But in this funding the pay rates for care workers need to be considerably increased to around £14.00 per hour, so much more than the current National Living Wage of £10.42 and then only if they are 23 years and over.

But that is not all for care workers need full recognition of all Bank holidays, expenses to cover all travelling expenses, good sick pay and much more. Unfortunately they are classed as being unskilled, which is way incorrect for to do care work to the required standards they have to be very skilled. There are many elements to caring and it is not just, washing and dressing, toileting and meal preparations, but so much more. The needs and choices of all in receipt of care need to be accounted for, then providing emotional support as and when needed, to understand who they are caring for and respect them in all instances and so much more. All of that requires many skills, in many respects many similar to those of nurses, so their pay rates should be much nearer to nurses than they are at present.

But in the NHS all pay rates, with perhaps the exception of those of Consultants, senior manages and Chief Executives need to be increased much more than currently. To not do so as with care workers people will leave and no one will wish to replace them. Some will say recruit from outside the UK, but of those who do come, well short of the real numbers required, don’t stay and just use the training and experience to gain much better paid and much better working conditions away from the UK.

We need to retain all who come into the NHS and social care and that means much increased pay rates and so much better working conditions.

All of the above I very much doubt Sir Keir Starmer will do, is it ignorance or is it much of the same as with the Tory’s a good deal of not really caring. Respecting Human Rights and concerns for safeguarding are not being considered.

 

 

Source: Sir Keir Starmer on “Starmerism” | The Economist

Autism: How My Autistic Foster Brother Inspired My Life’s Work

Yes, caring can bring so much to any relationships, when it is done as it should be, but it needs a great deal of understanding, flexibility, respect and being so adaptable to whatever occurs and much more, especially putting the person who may need care at the centre of everything.

These skills are essential and not everyone will have them or more than likely not aware that they have them, especially at the start. It is learning from all who are involved, the persons who may need care, the persons providing care and any others.

This was so much with myself for I joined my to be wife’s family in 1984 and knew nothing about any disabilities and not even come really across any persons with disabilities and having no brothers or sisters not even sharing my life with anyone except my own parents. My wife, a single parent looking after 3 children for many years, 2 daughters and one son.

As I joined the family the son was leaving home to be married, leaving the 2 daughters, youngest being 13 and the next 15 being the daughter with disabilities. She had severe learning disabilities and multiple physical and a sensory disabilities. Her communication was very limited, but everyone took to each other very well.

I had a very steep learning curve to climb and took time to understand what was involved and gradually helped in any ways I could. Not only did I not know, initially about disabilities but had no experience in dealing with the respective authorities, so followed my wife’s lead to a major extent. Over time, not really sure how long, but certainly within less than a year I gained the experience to deal with more, even the authorities and with my then wife became a good team in looking after both daughters. As time went on my wife’s health started to deteriorate, most likely due to the pressures of caring over the years, especially being a lone parent. Around 2000 I became aware of Autism and from what I understood with this awareness I was convinced that my disabled daughter was also autistic and eventually managed to obtain an autistic diagnosis. Becoming aware of autism provided many answers to the behaviours being shown and experienced by my daughter with disabilities and I became much better at being able to understand many, if not all of her behaviours, but learning never goes away, for there is always so much more to learn.

Yes, her behaviours could have been challenging, but only because of ignorance in how to correctly assess and then deal with them appropriately.

This was further enhanced when we had to start to engage with carers, as my wife’s health continued to deteriorate and my own starting to do so.

We started by employing our own, which were funded through direct payments from our Local Authority, but we went through many carers until we found and engaged with a few which we could trust and had complete confidence in, not that the others were not competent, but when having people within your own household, being your own home and a place of employment for others much more is required for good employee and employer relationships, let alone the relationships with the person being cared for, which in the most essential.

Eventually, this had to become a 24/7 care package and while retaining the 2 carers we employed directly used a care provider for the rest of the care package. After an initial problem with the original care provider we found another with whom we could work with well and as time went on it worked perfectly, not only did they understand our household they did all they could to find carers that fitted in well. Not always successful, but where not they provided more carers until a great team was found.

Unfortunately my wife died on 26 September 2020 but with the good team of carers the great care was maintained for my daughter and at times they were also looking after me, to some extent, during my own loss.

Even though the care for my daughter was great, due to her disabilities her conditions continued to deteriorate to some degree and health authorities were consulted as and where and when required and this was good too. My daughters wish and my own and my late wife’s were that our daughter lived with us at home and with the great care she was receiving this was how it progressed.

But on 4 October 2022 my daughter succumbed to her deteriorating health and as everyone was so devoted to her, the loss of her was severely felt by everyone.

Even now some 4 months on many of the carers are still in touch with me and we are helping each other to come to terms with our loss.

Over the years I have been using all my experiences gained in being in my family and talking to other carers and their families and use this in my dealing with our local Government and health authouritie and disability charities, being on various committees and some Boards.

Not only am I using my experiences gained, but it is helping myself in dealing with my own losses.

So being involved can and is good for many reasons and even if behaviours can be seen to challenge this should not be seen as a problem to be feared, but problems to understand and deal with appropriately, for we are all experts in our own fields and all need to be seen as such and everyone is or should be part of the team be they paid professionals, family, volunteers and others, but essentially the person at the centre the person in need of care.

In this all will be better cared for, but funding can’t and should never be ignored for both health and social care are left well short of the funds required, perhaps social care even more so than health, in many instances, not only causing insufficiency of services available, but severe staff shortages, and the moral of all concerned.

Funding and sufficient funding to maintain sustainability has to be a major priority and in this the Government needs to listen and fully understand, which is currently not occurring.

But they have to for the sustainability of health and social care services and for the continued lives of persons with disabilities and their families.

Families can only do so much, currently saving the UK £193 billion a year. Carers UK, Yes, caring can bring so much to any relationships, when it is done as it should be, but it needs a great deal of understanding, flexibility, respect and being so adaptable to whatever occurs and much more, especially putting the person who may need care at the centre of everything.

These skills are essential and not everyone will have them or more than likely not aware that they have them, especially at the start. It is learning from all who are involved, the persons who may need care, the persons providing care and any others.

This was so much with myself for I joined my to be wife’s family in 1984 and knew nothing about any disabilities and not even come really across any persons with disabilities and having no brothers or sisters not even sharing my life with anyone except my own parents. My wife, a single parent looking after 3 children for many years, 2 daughters and one son.

As I joined the family the son was leaving home to be married, leaving the 2 daughters, youngest being 13 and the next 15 being the daughter with disabilities. She had severe learning disabilities and multiple physical and a sensory disabilities. Her communication was very limited, but everyone took to each other very well.

I had a very steep learning curve to climb and took time to understand what was involved and gradually helped in any ways I could. Not only did I not know, initially about disabilities but had no experience in dealing with the respective authorities, so followed my wife’s lead to a major extent. Over time, not really sure how long, but certainly within less than a year I gained the experience to deal with more, even the authorities and with my then wife became a good team in looking after both daughters. As time went on my wife’s health started to deteriorate, most likely due to the pressures of caring over the years, especially being a lone parent. Around 2000 I became aware of Autism and from what I understood with this awareness I was convinced that my disabled daughter was also autistic and eventually managed to obtain an autistic diagnosis. Becoming aware of autism provided many answers to the behaviours being shown and experienced by my daughter with disabilities and I became much better at being able to understand many, if not all of her behaviours, but learning never goes away, for there is always so much more to learn.

Yes, her behaviours could have been challenging, but only because of ignorance in how to correctly assess and then deal with them appropriately.

This was further enhanced when we had to start to engage with carers, as my wife’s health continued to deteriorate and my own starting to do so.

We started by employing our own, which were funded through direct payments from our Local Authority, but we went through many carers until we found and engaged with a few which we could trust and had complete confidence in, not that the others were not competent, but when having people within your own household, being your own home and a place of employment for others much more is required for good employee and employer relationships, let alone the relationships with the person being cared for, which in the most essential.

Eventually, this had to become a 24/7 care package and while retaining the 2 carers we employed directly used a care provider for the rest of the care package. After an initial problem with the original care provider we found another with whom we could work with well and as time went on it worked perfectly, not only did they understand our household they did all they could to find carers that fitted in well. Not always successful, but where not they provided more carers until a great team was found.

Unfortunately my wife died on 26 September 2020 but with the good team of carers the great care was maintained for my daughter and at times they were also looking after me, to some extent, during my own loss.

Even though the care for my daughter was great, due to her disabilities her conditions continued to deteriorate to some degree and health authorities were consulted as and where and when required and this was good too. My daughters wish and my own and my late wife’s were that our daughter lived with us at home and with the great care she was receiving this was how it progressed.

But on 4 October 2022 my daughter succumbed to her deteriorating health and as everyone was so devoted to her, the loss of her was severely felt by everyone.

Even now some 4 months on many of the carers are still in touch with me and we are helping each other to come to terms with our loss.

Over the years I have been using all my experiences gained in being in my family and talking to other carers and their families and use this in my dealing with our local Government and health authourities and disability charities, being on various committees and some Boards.

Not only am I using my experiences gained, but it is helping myself in dealing with my own losses.

So being involved can and is good for many reasons and even if behaviours can be seen to challenge this should not be seen as a problem to be feared, but problems to understand and deal with appropriately, for we are all experts in our own fields and all need to be seen as such and everyone is or should be part of the team be they paid professionals, family, volunteers and others, but essentially the person at the centre the person in need of care.

In this all will be better cared for, but funding can’t and should never be ignored for both health and social care are left well short of the funds required, perhaps social care even more so than health, in many instances, not only causing insufficiency of services available, but severe staff shortages, and the moral of all concerned.

Funding and sufficient funding to maintain sustainability has to be a major priority and in this the Government needs to listen and fully understand, which is currently not occurring.

But they have to for the sustainability of health and social care services and for the continued lives of persons with disabilities and their families.

Families can only do so much, currently saving the UK £193 billion a year. Carers UK,

Same Difference

A woman who passed up going to university to care for her autistic foster brother has described how he inspired her to set up her own behavioural therapy centre.

Risca Solomon, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, first met Dan when he was four years old.

His previous respite placements had broken down due to his challenging behaviour.

But Ms Solomon, whose parents were foster carers, wanted to help.

“When I first met Dan I was 18 and on work experience at a special school, and he touched my heart,” Ms Solomon said.

“I begged my parents, who’d been foster and respite carers since I was 11, to step in.”

Her parents were reluctant at first due to the level of care Dan would need, something they felt was beyond their level of experience and expertise.

But they agreed after Ms Solomon promised to be one of his primary care givers.

“It changed…

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DfE pledges action on ‘excessive’ workload pressures for children’s social workers – Community Care

The government has pledged action to tackle “excessive” workload pressures on council children’s social workers as part of its response to the care review. The Department for Education said it would set up a national workload action group to identify solutions to “unnecessary” pressures on practitioners, while also promising steps to reduce the burden of […]

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Some good intentions, but I will believe it more when I see actions and even more so appropriate actions, for Government involvement so far as not been that encouraging, perhaps, even more discouraging.

For none of this will be possible without much more funding, which we see this government is not prepared to do and is claiming that the current climate is the reason. But that climate in most areas has been caused by government inactions or inappropriate actions and not by Local Authorities (LAs) and certainly not the workers within those authorities.

The years since 2010 with the introduction of Tory Austerity cuts are to be blamed to a large extent, but also the total inability for all governments to look after social care and even education.

The austerity cuts were supposed to be funded by making savings, but in effect very little savings were there to be made and have been and are being funded by extensive cuts to many services, if not all LA services, by virtually all LAs, if not all of them and with some, so much more so than others.

LAs have been bearing the brunt of all these problems, when in many instances the blame should have been at the doors of the Tory Governments and some others before.

While I so hope all the problems will be solved, I feel not many will be, if any.

 

Source: DfE pledges action on ‘excessive’ workload pressures for children’s social workers – Community Care

Rishi Sunak told care system at risk of collapse if workers not paid as much as nurses

Well, I am astounded, as I have been saying care workers should be paid equally to nurses for quite some years and now we have Damian Green, the former First Secretary of State saying so also. But, most care workers only earn the National Living Wage of 9.50 per hour, and to earn £23000 per year the rate for a 37.50-hour week would need to be around £11.80. Even that would not be enough for has been said they should be earning around £14/15 per hour, equivalent to some supermarket workers for much fewer responsibilities and less technical abilities.But, care workers are said to be unskilled, which is so far from the truth as to be effective and efficient they need much skill for it is not just giving personal care, they need empathy, understanding ability to work on their own without supervision while respecting the choices of the person receiving care. In many instances, the care visit could be just 15-30mins leaving very little time to toilet, wash and dress and prepare meals, and many other activities, including shopping, washing and ironing clothing and bed linen, and much more. To do caring properly it is a very skilled occupation and care workers need to be respected more not only by the government but the media and the population of the UK. While most care workers are employed by the private sector some are directly employed by the person receiving care and funded by Direct Payments which come from Local Authorities, (LAs) who also provide the funding to the care providers employing the care workers. These are the same LAs who have been subjected to austerity cuts by the Tory Governments over, at least the last 10 years or more.But, really no Government has looked favorably on Social Care ever. This lack of Government attention is causing much of the current problems within the NHS due to insufficient Social Care being available to discharge hospital patients when nursing care is not required but some form of care is still required, maybe for a short time. Many more care workers are required many more than can be available from the current UK workforce, so non-UK workers are desperately required, but the immigration policies are not fully allowing them.Yes, little amounts of funding for social care has been announced but it is so too little for any significant help to solve all the problems, therefore Social care will continue to disintegrate and the NHS will also continue to stay in a major crisis.

Source: Rishi Sunak told care system at risk of collapse if workers not paid as much as nurses

The Family Of Six In A One-Bedroom Flat Due To Inaccessible Social Housing

The housing market in the UK is far from good and even more so in respect of Social housing for many reasons

1. social housing stock has, over many hyears been reduced through the ‘right to buy’ scheme where social housing tennents were given the right to buy on a much lower price than the current market value dependent on how long the family have resided in the property, but Local Authorities, (LAs) were not allowed to use the resulting income from the sale of the property to buld replacement stocks

2. UK social housing stock is generally old, so not as acceptable to conditions of today, especially with regards to accessiblity and other aspects in regards to disabilities, but also many others such as use of energy and suitability of current climates

3. lack of available funding at LAs due to, at least 10 years of austerity cuts to Government grants to LAs, plus increased costs related to COVID, in a very changing market. This is not only reflecting on social housing, but many other LA resourses such as, education, social care and many others

4. too long timescales toprovide required adjustments and alterations and adaptations

5. state of repair of much social housing as repairs have not been done, effectively, sufficiently and within required timescales, leading t many social housing properties to be in a poor state causing many areas relating to causes of very poor health of tennents residing in them

When a family needs improved and more suitable accomodation is it required immediately and not in a year or years time as to do so puts more stress, and inconvenience on alrady very stressful and inconvenienced families so adding much more to problems within their lives.

This was not satisfactory years ago and even more so now, but this Government and may previous Governments have and are being shown to behave like the ‘3 wise monkeys‘, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’.

This is a major crisis, in addition to all the other major crisises within the UK and should never have been allowed to occur, but mismanagement or, in reality, no management by UK Governments for more years than there should have been, out of sight, out of mind, except for those of the population who are directly concerned, but Governments who are not and never will be concerned.

Same Difference

A family of six have been living in a one-bedroom flat because the social housing they were assigned was inaccessible to their disabled child.

Seven-year-old Joel Verala uses a wheelchair and is fed by a tube due to quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The house has three bedrooms but the family have been told the adaptations he needs could take a year.

Croydon Council said it had always informed the family the work would take “some months to complete”.

Joel’s mum, Souskay Verala, describes her son as a “happy boy” on the BBC Access All podcast.

“He likes stories read to him, he loves his siblings playing around him, as well as walks outside,” she says.

The family – Souskay, her husband and three children – were excited to be offered the three-bedroom council property in March having lived in a small flat for the previous six years.

But, though the…

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My baby was taken into care – then murdered – BBC News

Laura Corkill’s son Leiland-James was put in care from birth – and killed by the woman who wanted to adopt him.

============================================It is my belief this is not the full story, but not sure from whom.

Laura’s past has certainly been very troubled, but it appears due to an abusive partner and not Laura, but it appears all the blame is being heaped on Laura, with insufficient understanding and maybe a willingness not to from Cumbria County Council.

Yes, Cumbria County Council have a ‘Duty of Care’ for baby Leiland-James, but, also for Laura and from what is said in the article insufficient Duty of Care for Laura has been seen.

Councils are dammed if they do and if they don’t and hindsight could show things could have been done differently. Unfortunately, all councils ate overburdened with work a severe insufficiency of social workers and certainly funding, which is done to this Government and many previous Government.

But, from the initial social worker, it appears Laura was lead to believe that she would be allowed to care for her new baby, with the support of Aishea Drysder, from Women Out West. Also both Laura and Aishea were not informed of any changes or developments by Cumbria CC.

There is no mention of any multi Agency reviews and so it appears these changes were down to the second appointed social worker and there is no mention why the case was taken away from the initial social worker.

This complete lack of communication is extremely deplorable, and is a reason why social services are viewed in a ‘poor light’.

This case and the decisions made is even more debateable when this is taken into account ‘It was 2019, and over the following year, she would try to get him back. But just days after his first birthday, the woman – who social workers had placed him with – murdered him.’

So, it appears that baby Leiland-James was not fully safeguarded and with hindsight, it could well have been better to allow Laura to look after baby Leiland-James with the support in place.

Both baby Leiland-James and Laura have been severely let down by Cumbria CC and also Aishea from Women Out West to some extent.

Laura wasn’t involved in the subsequent murder trial and she wasn’t involved in Cumbria County Council’s review into his death, it is no wonder that she feels silenced. Having her first children taken from her, then her new baby Leiland-James and not being kept informed of subsequent events will be completely devastating to Laura and could well cause some major mental problems for some time, if not ever.

Her trust, if ever there will be no longer there re Cumbria CC, but do they care, we will never know.

There is the severe underfunding issue, severe deficiency of social workers leading to those there being so over worked and under great pressures themselves, but that should never be used as an excuse for measures taken and not taken as Duty of Care should supersede these and they have their duty to adhere to.

It is now too late to right the wrongs which occurred to Laura and baby Leiland-James, but not to ensure Laura is being well looked after, however how long belatedly.

Cumbria CC need to acknowledge their own accountability in this, but so does this Government as services can’t be conducted on ‘shoestring budgets’ which this Government is asking all Councils to do and not only Councils.

So Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss what have you to say. I would have said Boris also, but who cares about Boris, except for Boris and perhaps his wife Carrie.

 

Source: My baby was taken into care – then murdered – BBC News

Disabled People Feel Priced Out Of Existence By Rising Cost Of Living

This Government and many previous Governments by their actions and even inactions, show that they do not care about disabled people, no matter what they say, as actions speak louder than words.

There are many problems which disabled people have to encounter and many are not covered by current legislation being the Equality Act 2010, https://www.facebook.com/southyorkshirepolice/photos/a.468321323096/10157791280883097/?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUvaZGGRgKIYwsGr3ciNtRap9atuI4gfcbANohWzkgLCVYdeMbWNGtlCwTOzLhG5BPmNaVUlOVyeKqUfhjgzqDsMwQmwYxDBcVACqhJqYcrn9U-2yMIY2OQBH-r3EGA1udmoF1dh-P1Op_tb2jpGRDEBdt8Z71knJziqUooZmd70A&__tn__=EH-y-R.

It was not sufficient in 2010, but it was hoped it was a start, but now is even way more not sufficient.

Welfare benefits go some way to cover the costs to be equal and should not be judged as extra cash which is not used, as disability does increase the costs in endeavouring to live a reasonable life and certainly not a luxury life, which some people and organisation believe.

As when accessing social care persons are expected to contribute, but although there are Financial assessments these assessments don’t take into every account of costs involved in living a life. It is always you need to contribute, without any real investigation whether you can really afford to do so, as the system is there without any concpet of individual circumstances. There is much talk of ‘person-centred care, but in practice it is not really the centre, which it should be as the system is invariably the centre and systems don’t take individuals into account, just being a number in the system.

But, in effect this Government does not wish to recognise disablity let alone persons with disabilities. In fact, I tend to belo=ieve that this Government goes out of its way to ignore persons with disabilities to the extent that they would rather they not be there and then money will not need to be spent on them.

Same Difference

Sitting in her specially adapted bedroom, 15-year-old Ruby Walsh breathes slowly through a nebuliser, which covers her nose and mouth.

The teenager, who is deaf and blind, has cerebral palsy, and this is just one of the pieces of medical equipment needed to keep her alive.

But her need for a nebuliser, along with a ventilator and an oxygen concentrator, is pushing up her family’s energy bills at a time when money is already tight.

The cost of living squeeze means the family, who live in Basildon, Essex, have already seen their energy bills rise from £175 to £225 a month. They are reimbursed for the oxygen concentrator, but everything else comes out of the household budget.

Energy bills are set to rise even further after the energy cap rises on 1 April.

‘We just want a simple life’

Ruby is terminally ill and her mum, Charlotte Huzzey, wants…

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