Solve the social care crisis

[Explaintome]

As I understand it, the lack of social care is causing a lot of the problems in hospitals and therefore the ambulance service. People can't be discharged because of lack of care, so block beds.

Carework is unattractive because of the poor pay.

Despite the poor pay, care still costs the taxpayer £££

The now cancelled NI increase was supposed to help fund social care, but disproportionately affected the low paid and didn't affect retirees or the wealthy with unearned income at all.

My solution. Accept that people need to pay for their own care where they can, including from the sale of their houses, even if that's retrospectively because they or their spouse were living in them at the time.

Increase inheritance tax.

To me it makes perfect sense that people who have the means pay what are essentially their own living costs and that those people with means who are fortunate enough not to need care constitute to a pot to pay for care for those who don't have their own money.

I don't understand why "we" are so hung up on the idea that parents have a right to pass on (largely unearned/untaxed) property gains to children.

IHT taxes people who no longer have any need for the money, it seems a painless tax to me.

FWIW I am the child of boomers who worry about IHT so this would cost me, but I think if there's that much money going "free" there should be substantial tax paid on it.

That’s not true and it’s not about training necessarily. DH runs a care home and I know that he is very selective about who he employs to care for his residents. I know that he has turned down people at interview even though they’re short of staff because they don’t have the right attitude or personal qualities. I also know that he will let people go if they start and are not good for the residents. It means that he’s often struggling to cover sick leave and holidays but the team he has are solid and care greatly for the residents.

You seem to be suggesting that they’d get better staff if they paid more and that the staff who do care work at the moment are only doing it because they have no other choice. Have I interpreted that correctly?

There are of course dedicated care staff in home and in other settings. And honest dedicated people who run homes. That goes without saying. But how do clients/patients know which they are? They are given a list of homes and care agencies and have to fettle for themselves if they are funding themselves; and if LA are funding they get offered the absolute cheapest options. I left one nursing home that SS suggested and sat in the car and wept - there was no way my DH was going to that dump. I found somewhere good that cost a load and had to sell my home to pay for it. He has since died.

I used to work in a hospital in the social work department and it was wonderful when all the homes and home carers were employed by the LA. Privatisation has resulted in fragmentation, lack of accountability, poor training (cuts into profits), absence of staff support and pensions/decent working conditions .......

It is a mess.

My friend who works in a care home, loves it and is exactly the person you want caring for your loved ones, gets frustrated because many of the residents refuse to be cared for by Philipino males, who she says, are excellent carers.

It won't be everyone of course, but yes the majority of people in care homes for the elderly are white women and some of those are racist and many don't want to be washed by men.

As for people doing it for the money. Not everyone, there are people like my friend but of course, as in almost every other job, especially low paid ones, there are people who don't love it, but need the money.

We had this in the past. It was called National Insurance.

Make caring for a family member more attractive by increasing carers allowance to an amount that someone can actually afford to manage on, £69 a week isn't enough. Even if the carers allowance amount was trebled it would still be cheaper than putting someone in the care system.

Most carers are not just claiming carers allowance though unless they have a partner who is earning or a savings. Many carers will already be claiming means tested benefits as well as the carers allowance.

I think after over thirty years of nursing, we need difficult conversations as a society about how far we go in prolonging life at great expense, particularly that of very poor quality.

Legalise euthanasia

Also a government back insurance system to provide an opportunity to pay for your care in the unfortunate event that you need long term care such as with dementia. At the moment there is no credible insurance available.

why not just pay for social care through taxation as it would be more efficient than making people pay privately.

And many won't be.

What a way to treat people who save the country billions every year.

Increase inheritance tax : another vote winner !.