Organisations representing front-line social care staff say they can’t wait five years for the introduction of a National Care Service to make the urgent changes needed to rescue an adult social care service that is already “on its knees”.

Last week the Scottish government published its ‘NHS Recovery Plan’ which includes a £1 billion package of measures to make Scotland’s NHS more efficient and take on more staff as it recovers from the pandemic, so that it can deliver 110% of its pre-pandemic levels of activity within the next five years.

Speakers at a Scottish Policy Conferences seminar examining Next Steps for Adult Social Care in Scotland welcomed the ambition of the NHS plan but questioned why, when health and social care are integrated in Scotland, the recovery blueprint focused solely on health services.

The Chief Executive of the independent regulator, the Scottish Social Services Council, Lorraine Gray spoke in a personal capacity as an unpaid carer for two family members:

“[On Wednesday] the Cabinet Secretary set out the proposal around how we would rebuild the NHS – which is fabulous, and has to be done.

“In the introduction, it talks about health and social care. But, apart from the wellbeing resource, there was nothing about social care.

“Where is the document about rebuilding social care?

“There will be speakers here today who will talk about this workforce being on its knees. It is traumatised by what has happened over the last year and, right now, I don’t think it does feel that valued. So that is what has to change.”

Megan Fisher of the Women’s Campaign Unit of trade union GMB quoted from a blog written by one of their members:

“Care staff are burnt out,” her colleague wrote. “They are exhausted, stressed and now many are suffering from mental health issues about what they have had to deal with and witness since March 2020.”

Donald Macaskill, the Chief Executive of Scottish Care, the organisation for independent providers, said his main concern isn’t the creation of the National Care Service in several years’ time:

“I am critically worried about the very parlous state of social care in Scotland today.

“We’re not going to get to the future unless we deal with the issues today.

“So, my number one priority, and I think it is an apex around which everything flows, is how do we manage our workforce crisis at the moment? Because we can’t maintain those dignified, human rights-based relationships with people who require support with a workforce which is depleted, diminished and distraught.”

Dr Macaskill says people delivering care in residential homes and people’s own homes have been deeply traumatised by their experiences over the last 18 months:

“I chair the National Bereavement Charter working group and we have a pandemic of grief happening in our midst.

“We have had women and men at the front line, dealing with a rapidity of death of people they know in a very short period of time. And many of them are broken, not getting time off and realising how fractured and fragile they are.

“So, for me, the number one priority we have as a nation at the moment is to deal with a workforce crisis through mental health support, through adequate resourcing. And money and terms and conditions are not sufficient.”

Business and Operations Director for the Fife care home group, Abbotsford Care, Alyson Vale, reported that the pressure on her team is as high as ever:

“Everyone’s trying to work double hard to fill the gaps and vacancies, of people off sick and with the isolation period that we are working through.

“And there is a frustration at the lack of resources because it is very difficult for us to continue to pay the increased rates that we do pay for people doing extra shifts, when we’re not getting the same level of parity for payment, on a weekly basis, as our colleagues in the public sector.”

The GMB’s Megan Fisher said the pandemic has only reinforced the existing belief amongst care staff that society does not value what they do.

She says long-term improvement and change is needed and needs to begin to be delivered immediately – starting with what the union’s members say is their priority, pay:

“99% of respondents said they didn’t feel they are paid enough,” she told the meeting.

“As a starting point, we need to properly pay these workers – I don’t think this needs to wait for a National’s Care Service to be brought in – bringing in a £15 minimum [hourly] wage for care workers and pay rises for all those in the sector.

“We talked a lot about differentials and fair work and that is something that needs to be addressed as well.

“But, if we’re going to get on with properly valuing and rewarding this sector, their pay needs to be the first step.”

 

Read More: Insight: The discovery of hindsight in social care; Scots covid enquiry to examine care home deaths; Details of National Care Service revealed;

 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.