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

Lockdown has brought families of learning disabled people to their knees | Learning disability | The Guardian

The support system so many rely on was struggling before the coronavirus crisis. Now it is truly broken

Source: Lockdown has brought families of learning disabled people to their knees | Learning disability | The Guardian

UK faces national crisis as 6,500 care homes could close : Care Home Professional

The UK is facing a national crisis with 6,500 care homes totalling 140,000 beds at risk of closure over the next five years, Knight Frank has warned.

Source: UK faces national crisis as 6,500 care homes could close : Care Home Professional

Coronavirus has exposed the gaping holes in social care. But it is also a chance for change | Polly Toynbee | Opinion | The Guardian

This crisis might achieve one thing: voters supporting Andy Burnham’s plan to bring social care into the NHS, says the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Source: Coronavirus has exposed the gaping holes in social care. But it is also a chance for change | Polly Toynbee | Opinion | The Guardian

Leader warns care homes at ‘breaking point’ as death toll mounts : Care Home Professional

A care home leader has warned the coronavirus is stretching care homes to breaking point as the death toll of residents mounted over the weekend.

Source: Leader warns care homes at ‘breaking point’ as death toll mounts : Care Home Professional

Petition – Solve the Crisis in Social Care

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

Tories blasted for having ‘no credible plan’ to solve care crisis as homes face being left ‘on their knees’

This is so true, but again the emphasis is on the elderly and care homes. While this is, indeed a vital area within the care industry, it is not the only one.

The home care market, with supported living, will be, most likely larger than the care home market, but is hardly ever mentioned.

Home care, in many instances id for a lifetime much longer than the years in respect of the elderly.

All these persons, whether they be elderly in care homes or other persons requiring care within their own homes are vulnerable and without good quality and quantity of care staff they will not receive anywhere near a reasonable life.

One of the main problems is the complete lack of respect and care the current Government have with the care industry and the complete lack of funding they provide for care to just stand still, let alone increase with more disabled people needing care, people living longer and more complex needs.

The whole care industry is regressing due to the lack of funding, which then has a bearing on the quality and quantity of staff within the profession.

It appears that people believe that anyone can be a paid carer and to a large extent that may be true, but to be a good quality paid carer it is not. Any carer needs to be very understanding, have respect for the persons they are caring for and treat them with dignity. Some paid carers believe that they are incharge when it should be the persons they are caring for whose choices should be respected.

If the Government does not provide the sufficient funding and local authorities then apply this funding correctly, the care industry to a large extent may not last the year through.

This will then increase the safeguarding aspects and no one gain anything.

As to Brexit, the ability of persons coming from outwith the UK needs to be maintained as threr is already a shortage of people in the paid carer industry to accommodate the current needs of care let alone the increases that are and will be coming through.

Social care funding can’t take any more setbacks. It needs reform now : The Guardian

The UK is approaching a perfect storm with an ageing population and many people unprepared for the future

Former Liberal Democrat cabinet minister Ed Davey (centre) and campaigners protest against Theresa May’s social care policy during the 2017 general election campaign. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

For a short while, it seemed like the issue of social care funding would finally be addressed after years of government procrastination. The Conservatives promised a consultation on social care reform, U-turned on the so-called dementia tax and, instead, confirmed their intention to cap the amount people pay towards care.

But now that plans to introduce such a cap have been scrapped and the social care consultation is rumoured to have been delayed until next summer, it seems that the government has followed previous administrations and kicked social care funding into the long grass.

Such a decision is worrying and flies in the face of public opinion. A cap on care costs will increase the fairness of social care, so it’s risky to turn our backs on this idea without an alternative plan in place. There are too many vulnerable older people at risk.

Following an election campaign full of confusing messages about social care, Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people, conducted a public poll to gather insight into people’s understanding. Our research found that 70% of British adults believe there should be a cap on social care costs, while almost half believe that social care – including dementia care – should always be paid for by the state.

Sir Andrew Dilnot, who first proposed a cap on social care, has cautioned that plans to abandon it could cause a “catastrophic risk” of poverty in older age. And councils have warned that they cannot afford to pay for all those in need of state-funded care if the dementia tax is introduced, putting many providers at risk of going out of business.

The question of how we fund social care remains unanswered, and the most recent suggestions fail to get to the crux of the issue.

Jackie Doyle-Price, the social care minister, suggested that older people should sell their homes to fund their care. But this doesn’t take the full picture into account. There is a perception that all or most older people are well-off and own their own home – this isn’t the case. For those older people who are home owners and are, to quote the minister, “sitting in homes too big for their needs”, we know that two thirds would like to downsize but can’t due to a lack of suitable options.

Again, this comes down to a lack of funding and supportive policies, despite the fact that more retirement housing could save £14.5bn to the public purse over 50 years.

Whichever direction the future of social care funding is heading, and whether a cap is introduced or not, the government must be open and honest about how social care will be paid for so that everyone can plan for the best possible life in older age. At present, this is far from the case.

More than a fifth of people wrongly believe the state pays entirely for care needs in later life, and more than half underestimate social care costs by up to 20%. Considering these misconceptions, it’s no wonder that just 14% of us are currently saving for our care in later life.

We’re approaching a perfect storm where the future of social care funding is unclear, the population is getting older, and most of us are unprepared for the future. We need a transparent and sustainable long-term strategy that integrates social care, health and housing. Recognising, and acting on this, is our only option.

• Jane Ashcroft is chief executive of Anchor

Source: Social care funding can’t take any more setbacks. It needs reform now : The Guardian

Better funding for social care needed now to avoid staffing crisis | Care Industry News

A leading social care group has warned that any predicted increases in NHS pay must be matched by better funding for the independent care sector to avoid a

Source: Better funding for social care needed now to avoid staffing crisis | Care Industry News

Venture Capital NHS, Care Services, our most needy, feed our most greedy.

finolamoss

We think of our NHS, and Social Care, as a philanthropic safety net, for those, who need protection or help; the old, young, sick, vulnerable, and poor.

We do not think of the profit, that this unaccountable, monopolised service, of captive consumers represents.

But successive governments have.

Over the past 20 years, they have commoditised ‘need’, by pernicious ‘modernisation’.

The ‘modernisation’ of ‘Charity’, began with the Charities Act 2006, creating a politically controlled, all powerful, Charity Commission, enabling the restructuring of independent philanthropy, into ever larger, corporately run, political bodies.

The ‘modernisation’ of the NHS, by asset stripping, marketization costs under the Health and Social Care Act,private/public partnerships, healthcare consortiums, destructive targets, and ever tighter budgetary control.

The ‘modernisation’ of local authorities, by public/private partnerships, the amalgamation of health and welfare, into local health and social care trusts, mixing budgets, and roles.

Our government, is now fulfilling, the ultimate goal…

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