Underfunding social care and carers

[Sodd]

While funding has increased in other areas, social care funding has been rock bottom the last 13 years (despite regulations and demand being at their highest). There is no real plan for staff retention. Local authorities fail to cover the cost of care packages, which in turn puts care workers on the minimum wage despite high levels of responsibility, safeguarding responsibilities, medication responsibilities, report writing, key working and risk of harm while working.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/04/halving-social-care-workforce-funding-in-england-an-insult-ministers-told?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

With regard feeding people who can't cook. Would it not be cheaper to Uber Eats food over to them?

And what then? If someone doesn't have the cognitive ability to safely answer the door, take the food in, plate it up, locate the cutlery, make a drink, take it all to the table and eat it. That's assuming they are fully mobile and not using a walking frame to get around.

As I understand it, for the most part, carers don't have keys and people have to answer the door anyway. Don't the old Meals on Wheels just give people the food, or did they help people eat it as well? What does a carer do? Do they cook a meal for people when they get to them, or rather warm something up?

As I understand it, for the most part, carers don't have keys and people have to answer the door anyway.

Some answer the door. Some have key safes so that the carer can enter. Sometimes family members let you in.

Do they cook a meal for people when they get to them, or rather warm something up. It's mostly microwave meals or reheating food that's already been prepared for them but you can cook them quick meals though generally nothing that takes much time.

I still have a phobia/repulsion of gravy thanks to making all those microwave meals.

When my dd was doing caring in the community, the most common situation was a family member would let them in, if that wasn't possible, key safe.

Its not just feeding, its cleaning, washing up, dressing and washing the client, helping with medication, changing stoma's.

People who can heat up a meal and answer the door, will not be getting state provided care.

The issue now is that hospitals cannot get carers, so in Cornwall, the district hospital is having to provide them from hospital staff i.e. nurses/hca's, leading to further staff shortages.

Carers Allowance needs to be increased to a minimum of £150 a week & the condition for earnings to be removed. Even if you work a full time job it is still possible to be spending 35 hours a week caring for someone. It needs to be made possible for someone to give up work if needed to care for a loved one & still have enough income to live & without all the conditionality that the DWP rules state now. Maybe if it was made more attractive financially more families would take on care for a loved one themselves. It also needs a care assessment done by the local council to be done quicker, in my area it takes 3 months minimum wait for an assessment for care & home adaptations, carers need the equipment to make homes suitable for a disabled loved one, wheelchairs, hoists, adapted bathrooms & kitchens, stairlifts, very often patients are stuck in hospital because equipment can't be ordered before an assessment & then it takes time to be delivered.

I work pt as a carer, 90% of clients have a key safe to gain access. Occasionally a spouse who is also usually very frail and elderly themselves will let you in.
Rest are usually adults with physical and mental difficulties (former or current substance misuse issues) that can answer the door, but can’t care for themselves.
Tasks range from administering meds, feeding, providing drinks, personal care -toiletting washing etc. and importantly companionship, to also making life and death decisions -should you phone an ambulance for Mrs Jones ?
it’s actually a really rewarding job, but woefully underpaid and not valued.

Meals on wheels were available often use key safes. My relative is bed bound, NHS said she needed to be discharged and that she chose home care. She doesn’t know what day it is, the time of day, how to use her hearing aid but had mental capacity according to the law so is home in bed and Carers, district nurse and other authorised through social services get access via the key. Who ever suggested Uber eats likely doesn’t know many 90 year olds with dementia 🤔🤣. Can’t use mobile phone, has no wifi, can’t use phone banking, won’t eat anything foreign! Has pre diabetes and kidney disease. Gets put ‘to bed’ at time set by carers PLUS Carer’s contract includes making sure food is available and that they see this. Nevertheless would still pay for meals on wheels if it was offered, as they were tailored to this elderly market and they did go in and have a little chat. My friend currently does this two days a week as a volunteer for elderly housebound in her Borough. 👍