Superficially, it looks like Reform has (at last) published a meaty policy paper. The party intends to terminate Indefinite Leave to Remain. Alas, we are no further forward in policy terms. The paper is almost entirely derivative padding with the actual policy response being a mere six paragraphs.
There is very little to no joined up thinking amongst politicians of all colours as they strut their stuff around Westminster and their constituencies talking most of the time when interviewed complete and utter bollocks!
Far more elderly should be cared for by their families with tax and planning breaks for doing so giving financial incentives and making it easier to extend homes to cater for ones aging parents and relations.
As I've said so many times before Westminster is utterly devoid of any serious talent.
You are not wrong, but neither do I think my children should be wiping my arse when I'm doubly incontinent. If your wife is wiping her mother's bottom, how does she hold down her own job? Or it might be you. It's a conundrum.
Ultimately, it's a resource problem. The people incentivising this don't see any negative impact to their personal resource allocation so it's not a problem. They're higher up Maslows hierarchy and the plebs below can suffer what they must. Every ‘random African’ is impacting the national resource base, whether positively or negatively. I strongly suspect that most of the post Brexit inertia was to allow the corporate economy to pivot from low wage Eastern European labour to low wage West African labour.
Exactly, George. Please see my two contributions above. No one, but no one has the solution. We all live too long for our own good and that of our families. The End.
Parts of adult care were working years ago. Until they realised the issue of public sector pensions. This is why day services and supported living, cottage hospitals that worked gave gone.
My view anyway. They need to sort out pensions. Private firms. Then no council pensions for long term but short term is far more expensive for local authorities.
We need cottage hospitals back for those who can leave hospital but still need support, because no care at home. Or for older people who have had knee/hip ops. Should include physio and OT. Run by upper tier nurses.
Could also rotate for tired out stressed NHS staff and get GP on rotation doing more hrs in a less stressful environment.
Policy needs to be from the ground up not top down. Will anyone actually tackle social care?
Thanks Pete. I'm a community carer myself for nearly 17 years and things ain't great, as much as I do love the job.
Until someone is willing to pull the skills shortage visas away and shove a ripped up Migration pact down the throats of May and Johnson, things won't improve.
Not only have wages stagnated while everything else has gone up, the influx of Africans and Indians means we're all competing for hours as well. I need 50hrs pw to make it viable and a few times I've had to speak loudly to get what I need.
The problem is that the care companies only need coverage, and lots of transient employees who stay for a year and leave matters little to them as long as the calls get covered.
Make no mistake, care has departed from Person centred care to data driven care. Ticked boxes and processes matter far more than the real preferences and desires of those being cared for, no matter how much they may argue the opposite.
And you are correct that families need to be supported more to help their own elderly rather than dumped into the system.
We lost many, many great and experienced carers with the vaccines mandate, and with this dilution of the labour pool, we will lose more. The brain drain is real.
I hear that some of the Africans are really nice people, and that's true. There are some great lads and lasses there.
But that doesn't change the fact that they are simply doing the jobs our own people once did before being pushed out.
While I agree with much of what you say, some is over generalisation. We have 4 care homes nearby, which are excellent. I help deliver library books to three of them and have learned much about the people and their care and for some, they are better off there than at home. I emphasise 'for some'. Their bodies are probably beyond home care but they have still got very good brains.
I think their care home costs are probably above average though.
I agree with re-migration for some, but I have just been into hospital for an operation. The operating theatre staff of 5, were all from Asia, and were excellent. Interestingly, in contrast, all the patients were elderly white folk.
This is a very, very difficult area: the capacity to wipe someone's arse and pick them up when they've fallen over for the 20th time today (& that's just one care resident) is not something many can or want to do for any length of time, regardless of 'career path'. I wouldn't do it and you couldn't pay me enough to do so.
Care workers for the elderly & frail are at a premium but they usually have a limited employment 'lifetime' in care. Promoting to managers those who are good at 'caring' is not the answer: managers often are not good on the front line which is why they are managers; staff on the front line are often not good managers. This is a contradictory situation and I can't see the solution.
But clearly importing low-skilled workers is not the answer either. I don't know what is.
Incidentally I used to work monitoring accountants. They were often the ones supplying references and confirmation of earnings to those wanting to bring dependents to the UK. They often lied. When they had signed a letter saying Mr Singh earned £50,000 pa and could therefore support a wife and a child, I would ask for the evidence. Strangely, it could never be found. I reported one or two to the NCA at the time but I don't know what happened. And if you think its's bad here, you should see it in Ireland. So although these people often weren't very bright, they carried on regardless.
There is very little to no joined up thinking amongst politicians of all colours as they strut their stuff around Westminster and their constituencies talking most of the time when interviewed complete and utter bollocks!
Far more elderly should be cared for by their families with tax and planning breaks for doing so giving financial incentives and making it easier to extend homes to cater for ones aging parents and relations.
As I've said so many times before Westminster is utterly devoid of any serious talent.
You are not wrong, but neither do I think my children should be wiping my arse when I'm doubly incontinent. If your wife is wiping her mother's bottom, how does she hold down her own job? Or it might be you. It's a conundrum.
Back to form Pete, great post. This is the stuff I want to read!
Ultimately, it's a resource problem. The people incentivising this don't see any negative impact to their personal resource allocation so it's not a problem. They're higher up Maslows hierarchy and the plebs below can suffer what they must. Every ‘random African’ is impacting the national resource base, whether positively or negatively. I strongly suspect that most of the post Brexit inertia was to allow the corporate economy to pivot from low wage Eastern European labour to low wage West African labour.
Yes Rupert Lowe has made a basic error on care workers.
At present the financial calculation is skewered as most employees live locally so don’t need housing and are already on NHS lists.
Foreign workers are additional to both accommodation and NHS services and are an extra burden, uncosted.
Then there’s the quality of care.
It’s pitiful.
I know someone who had a 2nd job as a care worker.
When taking over the morning shift she found those needing help, due to mobility issues, needing the toilet.
There was never an assistant for that task or various other tasks the night shift were supposed to undertake.
The night shift carers were mostly African men - who would sit in the kitchen chatting eating and drinking tea & coffee.
She told them off, but she said it made little difference.
Exactly, George. Please see my two contributions above. No one, but no one has the solution. We all live too long for our own good and that of our families. The End.
Parts of adult care were working years ago. Until they realised the issue of public sector pensions. This is why day services and supported living, cottage hospitals that worked gave gone.
My view anyway. They need to sort out pensions. Private firms. Then no council pensions for long term but short term is far more expensive for local authorities.
We need cottage hospitals back for those who can leave hospital but still need support, because no care at home. Or for older people who have had knee/hip ops. Should include physio and OT. Run by upper tier nurses.
Could also rotate for tired out stressed NHS staff and get GP on rotation doing more hrs in a less stressful environment.
Policy needs to be from the ground up not top down. Will anyone actually tackle social care?
Pete for PM.
Bravo, Pete, bravo. If only one of our political parties gave issues this much thought...
Thanks Pete. I'm a community carer myself for nearly 17 years and things ain't great, as much as I do love the job.
Until someone is willing to pull the skills shortage visas away and shove a ripped up Migration pact down the throats of May and Johnson, things won't improve.
Not only have wages stagnated while everything else has gone up, the influx of Africans and Indians means we're all competing for hours as well. I need 50hrs pw to make it viable and a few times I've had to speak loudly to get what I need.
The problem is that the care companies only need coverage, and lots of transient employees who stay for a year and leave matters little to them as long as the calls get covered.
Make no mistake, care has departed from Person centred care to data driven care. Ticked boxes and processes matter far more than the real preferences and desires of those being cared for, no matter how much they may argue the opposite.
And you are correct that families need to be supported more to help their own elderly rather than dumped into the system.
We lost many, many great and experienced carers with the vaccines mandate, and with this dilution of the labour pool, we will lose more. The brain drain is real.
I hear that some of the Africans are really nice people, and that's true. There are some great lads and lasses there.
But that doesn't change the fact that they are simply doing the jobs our own people once did before being pushed out.
While I agree with much of what you say, some is over generalisation. We have 4 care homes nearby, which are excellent. I help deliver library books to three of them and have learned much about the people and their care and for some, they are better off there than at home. I emphasise 'for some'. Their bodies are probably beyond home care but they have still got very good brains.
I think their care home costs are probably above average though.
I agree with re-migration for some, but I have just been into hospital for an operation. The operating theatre staff of 5, were all from Asia, and were excellent. Interestingly, in contrast, all the patients were elderly white folk.
This is a very, very difficult area: the capacity to wipe someone's arse and pick them up when they've fallen over for the 20th time today (& that's just one care resident) is not something many can or want to do for any length of time, regardless of 'career path'. I wouldn't do it and you couldn't pay me enough to do so.
Care workers for the elderly & frail are at a premium but they usually have a limited employment 'lifetime' in care. Promoting to managers those who are good at 'caring' is not the answer: managers often are not good on the front line which is why they are managers; staff on the front line are often not good managers. This is a contradictory situation and I can't see the solution.
But clearly importing low-skilled workers is not the answer either. I don't know what is.
Incidentally I used to work monitoring accountants. They were often the ones supplying references and confirmation of earnings to those wanting to bring dependents to the UK. They often lied. When they had signed a letter saying Mr Singh earned £50,000 pa and could therefore support a wife and a child, I would ask for the evidence. Strangely, it could never be found. I reported one or two to the NCA at the time but I don't know what happened. And if you think its's bad here, you should see it in Ireland. So although these people often weren't very bright, they carried on regardless.