Good Law Project and MPs call for independent inquiry over apparent breach of UK law
Tag: Department of Health and Social Care
Social care challenge appears to be getting worse – By Silva Homes | Care Industry News
Indeed Social Care is in crisis and has been for many years, this is down to a number of factors
lack of Government investment
abysmal staff salaries
lack of care workers
unsocial hours
poor working conditions
no staff sick pay scheme
and many others
I put lack of Government investment at the top because if this was solved then some of the others could also be.
As to investment in social care, this has never been sufficient, but 10 years of austerity cuts and now COVID-19 have made the crisis very more serious.
So, lets look at social care, before 1970 social care was administered by a ‘mishmash’ of organisations
local authorities
charities
voluntary sector
health
and many others
But in 1970 the Government of the day decided to bring all social care to be administered by local authorities, but true to form, the Government did not provide anywhere near the funding that was required and over the years the gap from what funding is provided to what is actually required has been increasing.
Many Governments in the last few years have promised to solve the funding process and a considerable amount of the work required as already been done.
In fact, in the David Cameron Governments they were prepared to go ahead in 2015, but decided to defer until April 2020.
Now in April 2020 we were in the COVID-19 pandemic and still are, so was this the reason for no action, who knows.
But, urgent action needs to be taken, not just for care homes, but the whole of Social care which includes home care, respite, supported living, hospices for both children and adults as well as care homes.
Well some action has occurred for in July 2020, an advisor was appointed on the proposal for the NHS to take over social care.
So, action has been taken, but how is it proceeding, who knows?
Governments are ‘ace’ at putting proposals forward and creating working groups, but they are not good at putting proposals into action and thereby solve the crisis and they could well be lost in the ‘black hole’ of Government.
To ensure actions are finalised, I created the petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care, https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care.
Please consider looking at the petition and, if you agree, please sign and share.
Should you require more information this can be found here.
Source: Social care challenge appears to be getting worse – By Silva Homes | Care Industry News
Revealed: ‘Failing’ Serco won another £57m COVID contract without competition | openDemocracy
As Serco’s share price soars, government accused of “shovelling huge sums of public money to a handful of outsourcing companies without competition, rigour or accountability”.
Source: Revealed: ‘Failing’ Serco won another £57m COVID contract without competition | openDemocracy
‘I want Matt Hancock to look at this photograph’: Mother releases picture of her cradling stillborn baby who died because of NHS maternity failings | The Independent
With a tear rolling down her cheek, Stephanie Broadley holds her baby son Beau for the first and final time. Beau had been stillborn minutes before the photograph was taken, after avoidable mistakes
Care England calls for additional funding with rise in National Living Wage : Care Home Professional
Care England has said more social care funding is needed to help providers shoulder the cost of a higher National Living Wage (NLW).
Source: Care England calls for additional funding with rise in National Living Wage : Care Home Professional
‘Steep Rise’ In Patients Struggling To Get Epilepsy Drugs
There has been a “steep rise” in the number of people struggling to get hold of medication which helps control their seizures, the Epilepsy Society says.
The charity says “anxiety and stress” are putting patients at greater risk of seizures.
It is calling for the government to commission an urgent review of the medicines supply chain.
Although uncertainties around Brexit have highlighted medicine shortages, there has been a problem for years.
Last week the drug company Sanofi said there were shortages of an epilepsy drug, sodium valproate, in some areas because of supply disruption at a factory last year, and not related to Brexit.
The company added that the situation was improving.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As Sanofi has made clear, these issues are unrelated to our exit from the EU and they have followed the well-established processes we have to manage the small number…
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Benefit changes are driving demand for NHS mental health services
Unfortunately vulnerable person who have care and nursing needs are certainly being hit by benefit changes causing “substantial care deficit resulting from the impact of growing social and economic hardship”.
But on top of that the Service Providers who undertake to provide care workers to administer the care required to these vulnerable people are short of the Care Workers to perform this care. Workers are unwilling to come into the Care Industry in the numbers required due to the abysmal pay they will receive, especially when taking into account the responsibilities they have to take on in their duties of care.
Most of these Care providers are funded by either Local Authorities directly or the local authorities fund the persons in need of care so they can instruct a provider to provide staff or they employ their own carers by receiving Direct Payments from Local authorities or if funded by health they will be funded by Personal Health Budgets.
While health have been receiving some increase in payments from the Government, but in no way of sufficient proportions, this is not so for Local Authorities who have been subjected to cuts based on austerity measures implemented by the Government of at least a cut of 60% and even more.
So while there is a health crisis, there is also a Social Care crisis of even greater proportions, which could, if the austerity measures are not reversed see a dismantling of Social Care by providers handing bach Council contract due to these providers having deficiency of staff to fulfil these contracts. Many Service Providers are seriously considering if they can even remain in the industry.
Urgently the Government need to take this on board and seriously undertake to fully fund all aspects of Social Care, for if they fail to do so the decimation of Social Care will have a direct impact on health services, making a the crisis in health even more of a crisis, resulting not only a complete breakdown of Soc ial Care, but also of the health service.
If you think it is bad now just you wait and see.
It is because of the above that a petition has been created and I therefore wish you to consider supporting and promoting in any areas at your disposal the Petition – Pay all employed carers the Living Wage
Flash, (Families Lobbying & Advising Sheffield), a group of family carers of relatives with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism in Sheffield are concerned at the state of Social Care, not only in Sheffield, but throughout the UK.
We all know that there is a major crisis in Social Care not just in Sheffield, but all over the UK. This is in a large part due to the lack of persons willing to come into the Care Industry, of which the low pay is a prime factor.
Parliament are aware and have formed a Cross Party Committee to look at funding, recruitment and pay for Care Workers in the Care Industry.
The Government currently have a recruitment campaign for the Care Industry ‘Every Day is Different’ https://carervoice.wordpress.com/2019/02/22/new-campaign-to-recruit-thousands-more-adult-social-care-staff-gov-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-57 .
However, there is no mention of pay.
Please therefore, could you consider the following
#pay #employed #wage #funding #government #serviceproviders #living
Could you look at signing and promoting the Petition – ‘Pay all employed carers the Living Wage, created by FLASh (Families Lobbying & Advising Sheffield).
Petition link https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/236151
Please sign this Petition, however, until you then click the signature verification link in the resulting email your signature will not be valid and will therefore not count re supporting the Petition cause.
More information https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aq2MsYduiazglWxA60JAY_2cpvN8
We need this Tory Government to end Austerity Cuts to Local Authorities and then increase the Grants to these Authorities so they can fund Care Service Providers to be able to pay their care workers at least the Living Wage.
Please also see the HFT report ‘Sector Pulse Check’, https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aq2MsYduiazglXuM7Duz6HOYXvsv
If the Petition attains 10,000 signatures, the Government will respond and if 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Please support and share with your work colleagues, family & friends, Social Media, MP and Local Councillors.
For any further information Chris can be contacted on carervoice@gmail.com
Thank you
Chris Sterry
Vice-chair of FLASh
Brexit: the implications for health and social care- update from The King’s Fund | Care Industry News
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.
NHSI accused of ‘cover up’ over maternity deaths investigation | News | Health Service Journal
NHS Improvement, two royal colleges and the Care Quality Commission have been accused by a mother who lost her baby of trying to cover-up the findings of an independent investigation into a trust’s maternity services.
In an unprecedented move, NHSI has set up a so-called “independent review panel” to review the interim findings of the independent investigation of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, which was ordered by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2017.
The panel also includes Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, and Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. CQC deputy chief inspector Nigel Acheson is the final member of the panel.
The panel also includes Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, and Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. CQC deputy chief inspector Nigel Acheson is the final member of the panel.
Source: NHSI accused of ‘cover up’ over maternity deaths investigation | News | Health Service Journal
Ministers block release of ‘no deal Brexit’ social care recruitment plans | AccessAble | Carer Voice
Ministers are refusing to release information that would show what extra plans – if any – the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has put in place to deal with an adult social care recruitment crisis in the event of a “no deal Brexit”.
With just 43 days until Britain faces the possibility of leaving the European Union without a deal in place, DHSC claimed that “premature” release of the information could put at risk “effective policy formulation and development regarding our exit from the EU”.
Instead of releasing its records, it has pointed to “high level” plans published just before Christmas, but they suggest that ministers have no plans in place to deal with an adult social care recruitment crisis.
Disabled people who use personal assistants (PAs) have warned repeatedly of the risk that any form of Brexit could mean their access to PAs from EU countries could dry up, with a no-deal Brexit making this even more likely.
Inclusion London said in December that the impact of Brexit on social care recruitment was “potentially disastrous”.
Source: Ministers block release of ‘no deal Brexit’ social care recruitment plans | AccessAble | Carer Voice
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