For far too long, the social care sector has not been recognised for the vital contribution it makes to our society. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shone a bright light on the valuable work that social care workers and their organisations carry out across the country to support people in vulnerable circumstances each and every day.
Source: Reaction to government’s COVID-19 action plan for adult social care- VODG | Care Industry News
A proposed uplift of up to 10% for social care providers to address rising demand and costs caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is wholly inadequate, according to the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), a national body representing more than 100 voluntary sector social care providers.
New Age UK analysis finds that in the last 12 months, about 700,000 requests for formal care and support, equivalent to 51% of all applications, have been made by older people and yet have resulted in them not receiving formal care services. This is equivalent to 2,000 claims from older people being unsuccessful each day, or 80 every hour.[1]
In some of these cases, the older person was found by their council not to meet the eligibility criteria set for the social care system, and that was the end of it (23% of all requests for help); while in others the older person was found ineligible, but their council then referred them onto other services in the hope that they could assist, including their local Age UK (46% of all requests for help). [1]
Source: Age UK statistics are alarming and shame the country | Care Industry News
The Guinness Partnership is proud to announce its support for a new campaign to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people affected by dementia have their voices heard and can get better access to support and advice services.
Source: New campaign to support LGBT people living with dementia | Care Industry News
Care providers hope to get the chance to quiz top politicians over the crisis in social care when they gather for their annual conference in York on Wednesday.
Source: Care operators hope to quiz politicians over social care crisis | Care Industry News
We all know there is a crisis in Social Care and there is a promise of a Green Paper, which currently, is down to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care , Matt Hancock. If you care about Social Care these two gentlemen need to create action to solve the crisis in social care , hence the Petition – Solve the Crisis in Social Care. so please consider the following:
Dear Friends,
I just added the petition “Solve the crisis in Social Care”.
It would mean a lot to me if you took a moment to add your name because:
Just in Adult Social Care demand has increased by 1.6% since 2015-16, The Health Foundation report, 23 October 2018, https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/demand-for-adult-social-care-services-has-increased-by-16-since-2015-16.
This is not taking into account the demand for Children’s Social Care and the increase in demand since 2018, but as stated in the report, ‘At the same time, growth in government spending has only seen a 0.4% increase in real terms and the 10,670 fewer people received long term social care support’, effectively a substantial decrease in funding. This will and is having an impact on health care services and adds to the health funding crisis.
Until all social care is sufficiently funded for children and adults, be they elderly, disabled, or in poor health, health services will be substantially affected, and health funding will need to be increased to compensate, to some degree, for the substantial underfunding of social care.
It is not only causing distress and concern for persons in need of care, but also affecting their families, whose own health will be deteriorating due to the lack of Social Care and who in time will also need social and health care
I am a Family Carer and can see this happening for a considerable number of years for my own adult disabled daughter and how it has affected my own health and that of my wife.
But funding is but one element of the Social Care Crisis, as good quality care is also a casualty, not only due to the increasing demand for social care, but the substantial lack of persons wishing to enter the caring profession.
Here the lack of a wage/salary which matches the responsibilities, which need to be undertaken, the length of shifts, the number of unsocial hours, the care required in relation to the degree of disability and need and others.
Austerity cuts to local authorities are partly to blame for some areas of this crisis, which has impacted on the funding available for social care, where the need is increasing, the lack of workers in social care and the increases to the National Living Wage.
These problems relate to the whole area of care, be it in relation to Care and Nursing Homes, Supported Living, or Home Care.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care
Real change happens when everyday people like you and I come together and stand up for what we believe in. Together we can reach heaps of people and help create change around this important issue.
After you’ve signed the petition please also take a moment to share it with others. It’s super easy – all you need to do is forward this email or share this link on Facebook or Twitter:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care
Mr Kreft said the nub of the problem was that the funding formulas of local councils and health boards were predicated on paying low wages to staff and the “minimal differentials” for taking on extra responsibilities – and that had to change.
The call from Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, came after a campaign was launched to attract another 20,000 social care workers in Wales over the next 10 years.
At the moment, he said, the funding formulas of local councils and health boards were predicted on paying low wages to staff.
The number of elderly people over the age of 80 is predicted to increase by 44% in Wales by 2030 and there are currently about 113,000 people in the social care sector.
The ageing population in Wales and relatively older workforce are two factors for the increasing demand for care workers in people’s own homes, workers in residential care and more nurses.
Mr Kreft said: “I can certainly say that this is the most challenging time that social care providers have faced in trying to recruit sufficient workers to actually do the job.
Brexit has major implications for health and social care in England. Here we look at some of the latest developments that could impact the health and care system in England.
The deadline of 29 March 2019, set when Article 50 was triggered, is rapidly approaching but many important issues are still to be resolved. Brexit has already had an impact, especially on the recruitment and retention of EU nationals in some parts of the workforce which is contributing to shortages of key staff. In addition, the ongoing debate in parliament and uncertainty about whether a deal can be agreed mean considerable work has gone into preparations for a no-deal Brexit. The Department of Health and Social Care has published guidance for organisations to prepare contingency plans and has established a national operational response centre to lead on responding to any disruption to the delivery of health and care services.
Staffing
Across NHS trusts there is currently a shortage of more than 100,000 staff (representing 1 in 11 posts), severely affecting some key groups of essential staff, including nurses, many types of doctors, allied health professionals, and care staff. Vacancies in adult social care are rising, currently totally 110,000, with around 1 in 10 social worker and 1 in 11 care worker roles unfilled. International recruitment is a key factor in addressing these vacancies. Brexit and immigration policy will have an impact on the ability of the NHS to successfully fill these vacancies.
The policy of freedom of movement and mutual recognition of professional qualifications within the EU means that many health and social care professionals currently working in the UK have come from other EU countries. This includes nearly 62,000 (5.2 per cent)1 of the English NHS’s 1.2 million workforce and an estimated 104,000 (around 8 per cent)2 of the 1.3 million workers in England’s adult social care sector (NHS Digital 2018; Skills for Care 2018). The proportion of EU workers in both the NHS and the social care sector has grown over time, suggesting that both sectors have become increasingly reliant on EU migrants.
The UK has a greater proportion of doctors who qualified abroad working than in any other European country, except Ireland and Norway. Latest General Medical Council (GMC) data shows that the number of doctors from the European Economic Area (EEA) joining the medical register is holding steady (but still down 40 per cent on 2014 after new language requirements were introduced). A combination of relaxed visa restrictions and active recruitment by trusts means that the number of non-EEA doctors joining the register doubled between 2014 and 2017 (GMC 2018). However, some specialties not currently on the Home Office’s shortage occupation list are still facing difficulties, for example child and adolescent psychiatry.
A social care spokesman is to write to every single MP calling for emergency measures to end the crisis in the welfare of our oldest and most vulnerable adults.
Mike Padgham, Chair of the Independent Care Group (ICG), says radical action is needed before the 1.4m people currently not getting the care they need grows to even more.
He will tell ICG members meeting at their conference in Harrogate today (Wednesday): “A phrase used recently suggested the Government was in denial about poverty – well I’m sorry to say I think the Government is in denial about social care too. It thinks all is well and that a bit of tinkering here and there will solve the problems.
“They are sleepwalking into a disaster that will have dire and far-reaching consequences, for many years to come.”
He will warn that the difficulties faced by companies like homecare provider Allied Healthcare and many other smaller care providers, would only get worse unless more funding was put into the care of older and vulnerable adults.
He is to write to every single MP in the House of Commons – some 650 members – calling on them to take action to protect those needing care in their constituencies.
The ICG says care providers are fed up of waiting for the long-delayed Government Green Paper on social care funding and want to see action now.
“I have written on numerous occasions to the Prime Minister and to the various care ministers… I can’t think of many of the 12 care ministers over the past 20 years who won’t have heard from me at one time or another. I’ve had very few words of encouragement in reply,” Mr Padgham will tell delegates.
“Now, I’m going to write to every single MP – setting out the true plight of social care in this country and urging them all to wake up to the crisis that is affecting older and vulnerable adults in their constituencies. That’s quite an undertaking but one that I feel is necessary to get across just how perilous the state of social care is at the moment.”
“We have to get our message across, loud and clear or else the crisis will drag on and more and more providers will close and more and more people will go without care.”
The Independent Care Group says the country desperately needs measures to help the 1.4m people who are currently going without the care they need.
Mr Padgham will tell the conference that the solution is not difficult.
“If we put more money into social care it will actually save money for the NHS and, particularly in the case of homecare, keep people out of costly NHS beds,” he will say.
“If we are then able to reward our staff better we will be able to recruit and retain people more easily – driving up standards and tackling the recruitment crisis which is hampering care.
“If we end the stupid VAT anomaly, make care zero-rated, allow providers to recover the tax they pay and enable them to invest in the future.”
The conference, at the Pavilions in Harrogate, will also hear from a line-up of key speakers. These include former Care Services Minister Paul Burstow, now chair of SCIE, Dr Ben Maruthappu, a British physician, academic researcher, health policy specialist and entrepreneur and Dr Sanjeev Kanoria, CEO of Advinia Healthcare, a growing care home operator.
BBC television personality Harry Gration is to chair the conference and The Guardian’s Social Affairs Editor David Brindle and the BBC’s Social Affairs Editor Alison Holt are also amongst the speakers.
The main conference theme is innovation and delegates are due to hear about how new technology, including robotics, will aid the delivery of care, alongside the latest developments in hydration and nutrition, surroundings and wellbeing, health and safety, and person-centred software.
Source: Radical action is needed in adult social care | Care Industry News
As the Chancellor prepares to deliver Autumn Budget, research reveals public unaware of dementia costs and leading charity demands urgent social care investment.
The general public are oblivious to the catastrophic costs of dementia care, with many believing it is free on the NHS, according to YouGov figures (1)released today by Alzheimer’s Society.
People with dementia typically spend £100,000 on care over their lifetime (2) – a shocking statistic that the vast majority (81%) of people surveyed were unaware of. When asked what they thought dementia care costs, almost half (46%) said they had no idea at all. The most common answer was between £25,000 and £50,000, well below the true cost.
The research also highlighted that 50% of the public didn’t know that dementia care isn’t provided for free by the NHS. While there are pno drugs to cure or slow down the disease, people with dementia rely on social care for support every day, and decades of chronic under-funding mean families are often forced to foot the bill for spiralling care costs themselves.
Someone in the UK develops dementia every three minutes, and 850,000 people are currently living with the devastating disease, which slowly strips people of their memories and identities. Dementia costs the UK £26.3billion a year, which is largely shouldered by the families affected.
Pamela Jacques spent more than £200,000 in just three and a half years on care for her parents, who both had dementia, and even had to sell the family home to cover the cost. Pamela said: “My parents both worked until they were nearly 70 years old and were sensible with their money, but dementia care is so expensive. It isn’t something you can save for, and you shouldn’t have to.
Source: Public warned ‘We are sleeping into a care crisis’ | Care Industry News
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