www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/12/care-sector-staff-are-quitting-flu-is-coming-and-the-elderly-are-fearful
www.google.com/amp/s/www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2021/07/government-cant-keep-ignoring-social-care-crisis/amp/
www.gmb.org.uk/news/recruitment-crisis-care-will-continue-without-proper-pay
Those are three of the articles on Google, about the current crisis in social care. There's more, from sources like ITV, The New Statesman and AgeUK.
Working in care, I know what I think the problems are, but I'd be interested in a discussion with everyone, those who are receiving, or have relatives who are receiving social care, others working in care and those looking from the outside in, with no personal experience - because it affects us all, especially with the NI increases that are said to be directed towards social care (as well as the NHS).
My stance is that while social care is a business, profit is always going to be at the heart of it, and providers are always going to seek to cut the costs they can (staffing, food, equipment) in order to meet the costs they can't cut (insurance, rates, taxes, regulatory fees) and still turn a profit on the business.
But even putting that argument aside, on a basic level, there can be the highest level of regulations to meet, but ultimately if there's no one available to meet them, they're pointless.
I can't see the extra money coming from NI actually improving care, IME, the biggest issue is staffing, and lack of retainment and recruitment. The staff on the floor are the ones delivering the care, and if there's not enough of them, then no amount of 'time management' is going to improve that, and I really feel that this is the point we've reached now, there's not enough people to deliver the amount and standards of care that is in demand, because our time is all managed out. We've reached the limit (industry wise) with what can be provided with the resources available, and so people are having substandard care, or no care at all.
I don't know what the answer is, but I feel that throwing money at an already broken system isn't going to be it. There should be a way of ensuring that the extra money provided is actually going to provide more resources and better care, from training staff properly to improving pay and conditions to attract more staff to the industry.
I'm seriously considering leaving care, because I'm watching this get worse, and nothing I can practically do is going to make a difference here, there's no more I can give, I can't split myself in half, I can't work any faster or harder than I already am.