'If we fail, the NHS will fail' - the people on less than supermarket wages who could be the NHS' downfall
Dystopian scenes across the country of patients lying for hours on the floors of A&E, queues of ambulances with patients waiting days to be moved to a non-existent ward bed, and medics at breaking point. It’s hospitals that have dominated the nation’s headlines for months.
Social care covers hospital patients who need help on being discharged after an operation, support for people with physical or learning disabilities wanting to live independently at home, therapy for young people from difficult familial backgrounds or those in foster care - the list goes on. If you need checking up on even as little as once a week, chances are, that could very well fall under the social care umbrella.
"It could get quite dire if you don't have enough foster carers and enough specialist workers, and just consistent workers. Consistency, regular visits, regular communication from professionals,” she explains. “You've got to have the tools to do the job. [A pay rise] helps morale but also it's not just about the money, it's about having good career progression.”
“The NHS is absolutely reliant on social care, a large number of the problems in the hospitals is because we cannot discharge people from the hospitals into domiciliary and other settings,” he said. “In my area, we do have some capacity in care homes, around one-third of our care home beds are empty but it’s not just that,” said one GP.
We're living longer, demand is only going to grow Staff numbers are stagnating, but the demand on social care is growing fast, says Councillor Lisa Smart, who sits on Stockport’s adult social care and health scrutiny committee. “People with a learning disability are likely to need support for the whole of their lives, and their needs may change because they'll have medical and mental health challenges, the same as anybody.
“[Bolton Council's] aspiration is to get providers to reward staff appropriately, but if [the council] can’t afford to pay for the fair price of care then we can’t reasonably expect providers to pay [staff a higher wage]. Councils spending substantial amounts on agency workers - they are only a 'sticking plaster' Across the country, including Greater Manchester, cash is being spent on agency workers to cover social care shifts. “The amount being spent on agency workers is substantial across the system at the moment,” says Coun Smart, who believes temporary workers who can leave at short notice are a ‘sticking plaster’ on a long-term problem.
“You don't want to keep fighting fires. More prevention is always going to be more helpful in the long run," said Ms Taylor. "That requires investment." “I think a lot of the issues in social care are to do with it’s workforce and pay rates and deep-seated problems. We’re not going to solve all those overnight.
In Tameside, "social care staff do some of the jobs that district nurses do,” continued Mr Fisher. “That means we can pay those staff more, we can give them some sense of career progression, increase their job satisfaction and the retention.” The Conservative councillor is urging his own party in government to send money up to Greater Manchester, but not dictate how it should be spent: "What we need is the money, we need the [government] to send us the money, we will manage it as a system, we don’t need them to tell us what’s best for Greater Manchester.
"We'll also be increasing payments to foster carers; creating a residential care home right here in Oldham for children with disabilities, to reduce the need for out-of-borough care, as well as creating move-on accommodation options for young people aged over 18 - preparing them to live well independently.”
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