Social Care in Crisis

This week, both the BBC and ITV News report on the care sector facing its worse staffing crisis ever. Analysis by Skills for Care shows 8.2% posts are vacant, amounting to around 100,000 jobs with nobody to fill them.  Our social care system was already in peril before Covid, and following government mis-handling at the beginning of the pandemic 40,000 elderly people lost their lives.  Now a combination of staff exhaustion and sickness, immigration rules post-Brexit, underfunding and poor pay has left a huge hole. Carers in the wider community are working all-hours struggling to make up for staff shortages. The whole system is broken. 

As a carer for my Mum I have seen first hand a social care system on its knees. Her condition suddenly deteriorated a few weeks ago but we are fortunate that we are able to spend time with her during her last days, with some amazing carers ensuring her comfort and dignity and helping us down the end of life pathway. End of Life pathway changes many of the rules around COVID and social distancing in care homes. I am so grateful that this allows all our family to be by my Mum’s side.

Yet we have battled through the system to get here. Only days ago, my Mum was due to be discharged from hospital with a care package, but with no staff to undertake her care. Talking with friends has unleashed story after story of similar experiences- a system impossible to navigate, completely broken links between the health and social care system, overworked staff struggling to deliver care packages even when they are secured, and families simply unable to access the care that their loved ones need.

With the Lib Dems I will continue to campaign in my community and nationally for the rights of the elderly and vulnerable and their families, for action to tackle the urgent staff crisis in our NHS and social care systems (including indefinite rights to remain for staff from outside the EU), for serious increases in funding and pay, and for the proper joined up health and social care system that this country needs.