Social care should be a universal entitlement on par with NHS, says Church of England commission | The BMJ

England’s “broken” social care system should be radically overhauled in a new national care covenant developed through public dialogue, church leaders have said.The Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care has urged ministers to set out a long term commitment to a universal entitlement to social care regardless of wealth “on a par with the NHS.”It said that the new covenant would define the role and mutual responsibilities of individuals, families, communities, and local and national government, and lead to a simpler, fairer, and more generously funded system. Overseen at a national government level, the new system would ensure a stronger role for the state and a new deal for unpaid carers to provide better support and recognition.Reform would require a means of collective funding and pooling of risk, probably with a tariff of care charges established on a national basis, said the commission, which was launched in April 2021 by the archbishops of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and York, Stephen Cottrell. The report on its findings, Care and Support …

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Something I agree with and it should have been done years ago, maybe in 1948 for Social Care and health are so joined together and should be at all levels and be funded similar. It would also be sensible for the same organisation to undertake both emergency services, for when required Social Care is also an extremely required emergency service.

 

Source: Social care should be a universal entitlement on par with NHS, says Church of England commission | The BMJ

Family Carers and Social Care

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE I am a former family carer, former as my daughter died on 4 October 2022 following my wife’s death on 26 September 2020, and both are very sadly missed. My daughter was 54 when she died of a heart attack and she enjoyed her life with myself and her mother and then when our health deteriorated her care 24/7 was undertaken by a team of paid carers who provided excellent care respecting her wishes and choices, dignity, were empathetic and ensured my daughter had a very good life while continuing to live in our family home. The introduction of paid carers was gradual starting with 2 carers in a double shift of 60 hours in total Monday to Friday, which then progressed to similar for Saturday and Sunday, when they took my daughter out for lunch each day. As the health of my wife and then my own became worse we progressed to 24/7 care within our home and had an excellent provider of very excellent carers. The carers in many ways became part of our family and even after the death of my daughter many are still in contact with me and visit when they can. I was fortunate, today, to be on the Paulette Edwards, Radio Sheffield programme this morning talking about being a Family Carer and the experiences, the problems and the rewards and how it affected all of our lives. Now family carers are unpaid, but in doing so, as stated in a Carers UK report in 2015, was saving the UK £132 billion in Social Care costs and this can only have increased, substancially over the years in 2021 assumed to be £193 billion per year. Family Carers are entitled to Carers Allowance currently £69.70 per week provided at least 35 hours care is provided during the week, the carer has to be over 16 years and not earn more than £132 per week (after deductions including tax, national insurance and certain expenses). On retirement depending on the amount of State pension being received the Carers Allowance could be reduced or not paid at all. For the allowance is there to mitigate for any lost earning due to caring and when on pension there are no lost earnings. Family carers are also entitled to their own assessment, a Carers Assessment, independent of a needs assessment for the person needing care, to arrange for one contact your Local Authority who may do them themselves or contracted to another organisation to do them, in Sheffield this is the Sheffield Carers Centre. But, Social Care has, largely been forgotten about or dismissed as not being important, which is so wrong for social care is extremely important and needs to be considered on a par with the NHS, as the NHS can’t exist without Social Care and Social Care can’t exist without the NHS and in that Family carers are also so important, so their significance should never be discounted. For it is Family Carers who have been sustaining social care for all the years there has been social care. Lack of Government both funding and recognition of social care has been happening by this current Government and all preceding governments and none have given the so much needed funding and recognition it deserves and requires. This has led to the crisis in social care to escalate and is now and has been for many years seriously affecting the sustainability not only of Social Care but our very much respected NHS. Both the NHS and Social Care need equal respect and both need to be fully funded, for the staffing crisis in both are extremely serious. In fact the staffing crisis in social care could be far exceeding that of the NHS. But when we are looking at the NHS it is much more than Doctors, nurses , ambulance staff, for it is everyone employed within the NHS, for everyone contributes to the team and none can exist without the others. When I mention teams I am looking at everyone for take social care, it is not just social workers and care workers, but it includes families and the family carers for we are all part of the teams and all need to be respected, as is the person being cared for who needs and should be always the centre focus, in other words ‘Person Centred Care’ is the foundation of all care, be it the NHS, Social Care and in the family. This is so much the same in social care for it is not just the shortage of care workers, who so much need to be paid more, at least £15 per hour, but also their employment Terms and Conditions, re holiday pay, travel expenses paid sick leave and much more. You may say what has the Government to do with this, but the Government provides a grant to each Local Authority, (LAs) so they can have funds to which Council Tax, Business Rates and more are also included so that the LAs can then fund the services they provide. But since 2010 this grant has been severely reduced, by the Tory Government Austerity Cuts and therefore LAs have insufficient funds to fund all the services they should be doing, which means for them to keep within the funding, services have to be reduced, for any LA is not allowed to go into deficit. If this funding is not sorted, urgently, then the care staff will continue to reduce. It is said that anyone could be a carer, but that is not really true, for caring is not, as it is said to be, an unskilled profession, for to care correctly it is a very skilled profession and so needs to be recognised as so. Also when looking at Social Care it is so much more than care for the elderly, for it includes both children and adults, not only in care homes, but home care, supported living, respite and hospices. and more. Many will say that the UK can’t afford to fund social care, but I say it can’t afford not to, for if it is not, then social care will continue to diminish so much more and then the crisis in the NHS will be so much more and really threaten the continued existence of the NHS. So whether you do use social care currently or not and remember none of us will really know when we will need social care it is so important that it is sufficiently funded and then continued to be sufficiently funded and with that the NHS also. Look at military spending and I am not saying we should not help Ukraine for we all need to for if Russia is allowed to defeat Ukraine where will Russia strike next, but when any munitions are used, no one says can it be afforded to be used, but this is what is occurring daily in social care and the NHS.

As a mathematician, I fear Rishi Sunak’s plan for compulsory maths doesn’t add up | Kit Yates | The Guardian

Forcing students to endure a subject that many find unenjoyable could end up putting some off A-levels altogether, says mathematician and author Kit Yates

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I totally agree with Kit and I would say more.

If Rishi feels maths is so important, I would suggest he takes some of his own advice, for while he is well over 18 his own maths does not add up as he is unable to see beyond his nose.

Yes, Maths is important, but so are all the other problems and many of these have been caused by Tory Governments over the last few years.

One of the main priorities is the crisis in Social care which has been around much longer than the crisis in the NHS and is one of the reasons for the crisis in the NHS.

By all previous and this current Governments social care has been allowed to continue without any degree of sufficient funding and the workers within social care have been degraded by the government and the media leading to the public being unaware of how important social care is not just for those persons in need of social care but for the continued existence of the NHS

Get social care sorted and this will remove some of the problems in the NHS.

But this needs massive funding and care workers to be seen as the experts and professionals they really are. For care workers are not doing unskilled work but are very skilled workers and they need to have a remuneration that takes this into account, not the paltry £10 per hour but at least £14./15 per hour. This would encourage more to be care workers and then those who are not as skilled as though should be can be dealt with as can the care providers who should be much better than they are.  Don’t judge the care profession on the few who are not as should be as the majority are but there is an insufficiency of them.

 

 

 

Source: As a mathematician, I fear Rishi Sunak’s plan for compulsory maths doesn’t add up | Kit Yates | The Guardian

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

NHS strikes: ‘Exhausted’ ambulance crews dealing with 50% rise in life-threatening 999 calls

Unfortunately this is nothing new, but over the years it has become ever more serious, especially after the great demands on the NHS and Social Care due to COVID-19. But, more should have been done well before COVID and the longer nothing is done the more expensive and urgent actions are required.

So, it is not just the fault of this Government but all previous Governments, but this Government as a lot to answer for and the current Government inactions for the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP and the Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay MP are not only not welcome, but they should be doing much more to accomodate all the Workers grievences and not just, as they appear to be ‘washing their hands’ completely.

Yes, it is much more than workers remunerations, for working conditions are also important, so both Unions and Government just be together to discuss all points and not just pick and chose which ones they wish to deal with.

But, while everything that is wishoing to be discussed, there is the big, ‘elephant’ in the room and that is Social Care, which no one appears to be discussing or even considering. For Social Care is so greating inter-connected with the NHS and one should not be considered without the other for they are both as equal, for without one the other will not exist. But, Social Care has been ignored by as many Governments as I can remember and many, if not all before. If, Social Care is not sorted then the NHS will never be. But, in Social Care the remunerations and working conditions are so much more worse than the NHS and so are the staff shortages.

In COVID we were clapping for the NHS, but for most people this was just for nurses and maybe doctors, when it should have been for all of the NHS work forces and all in Social Care. Also, did anyone think of ambulance crews when they were clapping, every part of care is essential and ever so important.

If, we all wish for a successful NHS, then we also have to have a successful Social Care, care is care whether it be in Social Care or the NHS.

 

Source: NHS strikes: ‘Exhausted’ ambulance crews dealing with 50% rise in life-threatening 999 calls

Train strikes: What are the RMT’s demands compared with Network Rail’s current offer? | The Independent

What are the RMT demands compared with Network Rail’s pay current offer? Here’s what’s on the table at the moment

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Lets face it strikes benefit no one, the employers, the employees and in many respects the public, so no strike should be started until all avenues have been exhausted.

In fact, it could be argued whether strikes should be allowed at all, surely independent arbitration should be a consideration on which the outcome is binding on all parties.

Then at least the public would not suffer from actions that are totally outwith their control or influene what the public will do, which could be to take their custom elsewhere or do without the service completely.

If customers stop using a service then the income to the employers reduces and so there is less finance to fund remunnerations to employees so in these circumstances striking is benefiting no one.

Reunerations in many employments in the UK are poor in comparisons to similar employments in other countries and some employments are much worse than others. Some of these employments include care, hospitality and agriculture but there are many others, in these vacancies are excessive causing many problems, but due to the low remunerations not enough persons in the UK are taking these employments and the UK immigration rules are not allowing sufficient persons to enter the UK to fill these vacancies.

We are experiencing crisis after crisis and no one is willing to act, which is mainly the Government, who do need to do what is required for all concerned and not just sit back and do nothing for it is their duty to act for all concerned.

Source: Train strikes: What are the RMT’s demands compared with Network Rail’s current offer? | The Independent

Decade of neglect means NHS unable to tackle care backlog, report says | NHS | The Guardian

Exclusive: Government-commissioned paper pinpoints budget squeeze as key reason for service’s loss of capacity

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Yes, austerity cuts are the blame for many problems in the UK and not just the NHS.

However, all governments since 1948 are to blame for the crisis in Social Care, but austerity cuts just made the crisis much worse.

Until the crisis in Social Care has been solved, the NHS will always be worse off, but no Government sees this problem.

So solve Social Care and part of the NHS problem will be overcome, provided no more Governments restrict finance to both Social Care and the NHS.

 

Source: Decade of neglect means NHS unable to tackle care backlog, report says | NHS | The Guardian

Keir Starmer warned by Labour peers not to waste political capital on Lords reform | Labour | The Guardian

Policy could distract party from pushing through other urgent measures, leader is told

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If Starmer goes ahead with this proposal it just shows that he is no better than the Tories as the Lords should not be a priority there are many more important issues well before this.

A major priority with many others is to safeguard Social Care as if it is not then it will be the demise of the NHS, for without a substantive Social Care system the burdens on the NHS will be everlasting and it won’t be able to exist in any form. Social Care is in dire need to substanial financing and people need to be encouraged to be employed in Social Care, but the demeaning pay rates in Social Care are not any encouragement and also the working conditions, lack of sufficient travel expenses, holiday entitlement and sick pay. Immigration also needs to be improved so more workers can come from non-UK countries, not only for Social Care, but for agriculture and hospitality to name 2 more, but there are many other areas.

Source: Keir Starmer warned by Labour peers not to waste political capital on Lords reform | Labour | The Guardian

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…

View original post 888 more words

New prime minister must prioritise NHS, say doctors’ leaders | The BMJ

Liz Truss, the UK’s new prime minister, must act decisively on the key challenges facing the NHS and social care or face an “uncontrollable crisis” this winter, doctors’ leaders have warned.Truss became the fourth Conservative prime minister in six years after gaining 81 326 votes (57.4%) of Conservative party members, defeating her rival, Rishi Sunak.The most pressing item in Truss’s in-tray will be tackling soaring energy bills that will have severe health implications if people, particularly if they are elderly or clinically vulnerable, are forced to choose between food and heating.During the leadership contest the NHS received relatively little attention, but in her victory acceptance speech Truss pledged to “deliver on the …

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Yes, sorting out the NHS needs to be a priority, but also does sorting out social care for if it is not, sorting out the NHS will never be successful.

Both social care and the NHS are as important as each other and it could be said that social care even more so. For any lack of social care, as much detrimental effects on the NHS, creates more health situations and of greater degrees, leading to many more access to GPs and eventually hospitals. The hospital  says could then be longer than they should be, due, not only to the gegree of health, but when patients are ready for discharge, but are still not fully able to care for themselves, but there is then an insufficiency of social care to undertake care of themselves. Thus creating bedblocking, which in turn means A&E are unable to free areas in A&E as there are no free beds on wards due to the bed blocking. This then means there are insufficient A&E capacity for ambulances to transfer their patients into A&E, so ambulances have to wait at hospitals under acces to A&E is available. This then creates a shortage of available ambulances for picking new emergency callouts.

The problems with social care are far from new, but no government as so far done much to solve the social care crisis, in fact many, if not all have been ignoring social care for many years. This was made worse since 2010 with the introduction of Tory austerity cuts and then additional costs of COVID.

So doctors leaders, do not be as shortsighted as the Government and include social care within your campaign for funding.

 

Source: New prime minister must prioritise NHS, say doctors’ leaders | The BMJ