Paul Burstow’
Paul Burstow’s commission warns the current homecare system seems designed to prevent ‘caring, professional relationships developing between workers and those they care for’.
Ruth Hardy
Tuesday 2 December 2014 11.52 GMT
If homecare is not yet in crisis, it soon will be. That was the stark message delivered by former care minister Paul Burstow’s commission on homecare.
Key recommendations from the Key to Care report include a living wage for all care workers, along with clear training and career pathways for care workers in both health and social care. The commission, run by the Local Government information Unit (LGiU), also call for councils to move away from time and task commissioning, towards outcomes-based commissioning.
In addition, councils are urged to be “more proactive in ensuring that their use of existing framework contracts is not contributing to the worst practices in homecare, such as 15-minute care slots”.
The report, which notes that some service users are seen by 50 different careworkers a year, warns that the homecare system “appears designed to keep caring professional relationships from forming between workers and those they care for”.
It adds: “We are probably lucky there has not been a major homecare scandal yet. If things do not change, it may only be a matter of time.”
Burstow, the chair of the commission, said: “Making care work a career of esteem, where a living wage is paid, staff are trained and recognised as valued key workers who contribute a huge amount to society will inevitably come at a price, but the cost of doing nothing will be even greater.”
We’ve compiled a selection of views on the report. To share your thoughts, tweet @GdnSocialCare or add your thoughts in the comments section below.
Liz Kendall MP, Labour’s shadow minister for care and older people: “We will never get the quality of care we all want for our mums and dads if homecare workers are poorly trained, undervalued and denied even the basic minimum wage because they are not paid for travel times. That’s why Labour will end the use of exploitative zero-hours contracts, take tough action to enforce the minimum wage, and ensure homecare workers have the skills they need to provide decent care and support.”
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The Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services: “Many councils work closely with local providers to try to continuously improve services for people who rely on home care and their carers. We rely on care workers to keep our social care system running and support people who can often have complex needs. It is important that they are paid a fair wage and have the best possible training and that local authorities understand and take account of the cost of providing this.
“This report rightly highlights the extremely difficult financial climate for local government. The backdrop of 40% cuts to local government funding during the current parliament and increasing pressure from the government to drive down the costs of care, have forced councils to ask providers to run services on tighter margins.
“There are already many positive examples of councils doing things in different ways to improve care and support for local people, but we know more still needs to be done. We want everyone to have access to the best quality care and support that enables them to live in their homes for longer. Councils need to continue to work with providers to fully understand the cost of care in their area and make sure that staff are fully supported to put the people they care for at the centre of decisions about their needs.”
Colin Angel, policy director, UK Home Care Association: “Older and disabled people deserve excellent services from a workforce which is suitably trained, committed and adequately rewarded for the increasingly complex care required to be delivered at home.
“Homecare workers are our greatest asset and their services already support demands on a struggling health service. However, inappropriate commissioning by local councils is self-defeating and carries risks of rushed, undignified services which lack continuity by focusing on limited time for care and a constant pressure to reduce providers’ fees.
“It is essential that local councils reflect on the Burstow commission’s findings to move away from ‘time and task’ commissioning and refocus on purchasing effective outcomes for individuals and also value the homecare workforce appropriately.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive, Independent Age: “We welcome the recommendations in today’s report, particularly those that focus on better pay for care workers. Currently, up to 220,000 care workers are paid less than the national minimum wage. But these staff do challenging and specialised work in supporting old and disabled people. Putting this right, however, requires fundamental reform, as the root cause of low pay and zero-hours contracts of care workers, is a care system impacted by years of underfunding.”
Statistics: Posted by wendy — 03 Dec 2014, 12:50
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