To be furious with the way social care is(n't) run in this country?

[shallIswim]

I know I know I should have gotten angry about this before it affected me but... Mother has had severe stroke and is marooned in a community hospital in the back of beyond because there are no carers. None. Not in the community, not in nursing homes. The hospital is embarrassed. I'm quietly seething that a woman who has paid taxes all her life (forgive the cliche) has been left like this. There are no physios in the hospital so she is getting no rehab. I don't blame the hospital or any of the care agencies or companies. But I am raging with impotence.
Father is being cared for full time at home by a good private agency (we are paying) but even they cannot supply anyone.
The lady in the neighbouring bed to mother is way better than she is but has been waiting since early July for a care package to go home to.
What kind of place are we living in?
I do blame Brexit in part but don't want this to be a debate abut Brexit.
What can we do? It's AWFUL and inhumane

Is there anywhere in world with an excellent social care system, Japan maybe?

Yabu once you blame brexit. Social care has been highly underfunded sincevway before brexit.

Is there anywhere in world with an excellent social care system, Japan maybe?

Japan's even worse than the UK.

@Starlightstarbright1

Yabu once you blame brexit. Social care has been highly underfunded sincevway before brexit.

Sure, but the lack of carers from European countries is a significant issue. Most of them have gone back due to hostile environment or failing to get settled status. However, the main issue is lack of investment by successive governments.

Social care is underfunded, care workers are paid very poorly and have dreadful working conditions. Things were bad pre-Brexit but even worse now. I work in ASC, we are doing our very best but we cannot conjure up care from nowhere. Our hands are tied as we don't have enough money to pay a fair cost of care. It is appalling.

Do you work in social care @shallIswim?

But she is being cared for. Ok not in the place that she would ideally choose but somewhere where she is fed and kept clean and her medical needs are taken care of.
One alternative in some parts of the world is that family care for their elderly relatives.
That’s not something we generally choose to do in the U.K. instead outsource it to others on minimum wage.
Not really sure what the answer is.

It’s awful people have to wait for care packages (nobody wants to be in hospital longer than necessary and trust me the staff don’t want beds being taken up just because the care plan is delayed).

There just aren’t the resources at present to get care plans sorted quickly and efficiently.

Unless she is self funding, then surely she has more choice and can speed up the care plan?

Putting in an application for a social care assessment can be delayed by lack of staff, then the assessment itself delayed (think of the number of social workers and NHS staff currently off sick with stress, burnout and long covid as a result of the pandemic, and the huge increase in people needing care plans). Then securing the funding can take even longer.

Patients usually have to be assessed by an OT prior to a care plan being agreed, and OTs are thin on the ground at the moment, often 1 per ward or 1 per 2 wards.

Sometimes wards take a wait and see approach, with rehab in hospital in the hope a patient will be well enough to go home without a care plan if they receive physio and therapy on the ward.

Most nursing homes are private - it's up to families to search for one unfortunately. If her condition is such that she needs permanent care, nhs continuing care will find her place, it isn't means tested and will give you a list of suitable homes once she has been assessed. The process took around 2 months in our case.

I'm guessing it is just a localised issue because homes here have plenty of vacancies due to the covid outbreak

6 years ago, FIL was terminally ill and we were told he had between days and A couple of weeks left. He was desperate to come home and not die in hospital. We ended up having to discharge him with no care package so He could Have that request granted. It was almost a blessing that the end was quick as it took a real toll on the whole family who had no experience of nursing/end of life care and very quickly had to learn.

As a family, we could have afforded to pay for care, But there were simply no carers free to come in and care for him. I dread to think how bad it is now if it was like that 6 years ago.

You are lucky it is summer - once winter comes they will be after the community beds so people can be discharged there from acute hospitals. They will say a package is in place (first morning visit 11am putting to bed at 6pm visits restricted to 15 mins as there is always the next person on the list). The carers are usually wonderful but underpaid. Unless this is funded properly it will not improve this government might say they will set up something so their mates can cream off funds but care staff are in short supply

No I don't work on social care, which is why I suppose my eyes are on my just now being opened.
And there are no catered whether private or state funded. Private care homes can and do take patients who are 'bed blocking' like my mum (awful phrase), and social services can find or part fund. We're not eligible because mum and dad's assets are too great.
Makes no difference either way (and nor should it - everyone should have access to social care). - there are no spaces and in some cases no staff so spaces have been curtailed. I've rung everything cafe home in the county so know!
There are no people. That's the problem
And sure mum is being cared for (tho not as the hospita would like - even the matron is embarrassed because the can't supply physio, an OT, or much in the way of SALT), but there's the problem - she's unwittingly bunging up a hospital place.
It's a mess

Well we don't fund it enough so the system is shit plus I wouldn't want to work as a carer.

@Maryann1975

6 years ago, FIL was terminally ill and we were told he had between days and A couple of weeks left. He was desperate to come home and not die in hospital. We ended up having to discharge him with no care package so He could Have that request granted. It was almost a blessing that the end was quick as it took a real toll on the whole family who had no experience of nursing/end of life care and very quickly had to learn. As a family, we could have afforded to pay for care, But there were simply no carers free to come in and care for him. I dread to think how bad it is now if it was like that 6 years ago.

And that was a wonderful thing for you to all do for your FiL. I have the utmost respect. But as you say it took a toll. And I suspect if he'd had a package in place it would have been better for him too - calmer. A good carer is a wonderful thing.

physio, an OT, or much in the way of SAL
you can't find any of these privately?

What kind of place are we living in?

A place where we pay very low tax, keep trying to pay less, and yet expect to get an awful lot for those pitiful taxes, is where.

Oh and Brexit and the hostile environment is a massive issue when it comes to carers....the vast majority of paid carers in the UK are non UK nationals on minimum wage.

@countrytown

physio, an OT, or much in the way of SAL you can't find any of these privately?

Not til she comes out of hospital. A private physio won't be insured to work in hospital. And she needs double handed care (hoist etc) when she comes out. And there are no carers and nor are there nursing homes spaces. One prominent local nursing home even told me they had space but not the staff. I've got private physio all lined up - but no where to go It's just just my family either - the lady next door to mums bed is in a far better physical Condition and like mum the hospital says she's ready for discharge but there's no care package. Plus of course covid - no one can visit

I’m a carer, we get £9 an hour. We don’t get paid for training, which is mandatory. We get one uniform ( it’s just the top) any more you have to buy them at £15 each. We are always over worked and understaffed.
We are not allowed any time off in December. We don’t get paid travel time. We get phone calls when not at work asking us to pick up extra work.
I’m retaining to do something else, iv only been there a year and I won’t to be out before I make it to 2 years.
That’s why there are no carers.

And that's shocking. And clearly part of the problem. The profession isn't funded. It's not right. As I said I have no beef with any of the carers I've met. You're blimmin brilliant. In any other profession a shortage would be met with sing wage levels. Clearly tho carers are an exception and that's wrong for everyone

Have you looked into NHS continuing health care fund. It’s a life saver and you can be fast tracked if your mum is not well.
One of the key points deciders is mobility, we were given it without even asking. So I’m surprised she hasn’t given that she’s not well enough to go home

I hate the way we idolise the NHS, but don't seem to give a toss about 'social care', what is the actual difference between social care and health care, when you think about it?! None. We need a specific tax everyone over 40 pays towards their later life care. Everyone. Germany and Japan do this. It's not complicated. We need to let politicians know that we want, because they are pathetically afraid of the radical idea, that is using taxation to address social problems.

There was something on the news about this this morning and how it’s expected to get worse. And yes brexit seemed to be the reason.

So while nandos running out of chicken is a tad inconvenient this is really serious and has the potential to become devastating. What happens to people in care homes when staff leave and vacancies can’t be filled? What happens when the hospitals are full because people can’t be discharged.

I’m not sure what can be done. It’s too late to stop brexit, so a lot of the workforce has left and won’t be coming back. Where do you find people? Seems British people don’t want to do it…or not in sufficient numbers. Is it a wage issue, do wages need increasing….but then fees will increase. And if you increase wages too much pissed off nurses will Jack in nursing and go and work in care homes instead. 🤷‍♀️

I’m currently staying in a tourist area and numerous pubs/hotels are closing because they can’t staff the businesses. Every open shop/cafe has signs up saying they have multiple vacancies. I holiday here every year and never seen anything like it. There are hour long queues to get into cafes for lunch. 20 min queue to get into greggs for a take away sausage roll! Normally there’s a lot of Eastern European staff.

So no I don’t think yabu for mentioning brexit. It’s had a massive impact. I hope your mum gets sorted.

Care assistants often don't get treated very well by their employers and the wages are so poor so why on earth would a person want to work as one. You get odd people say oh it's such a rewarding job and I love but not that many. I worked in elderly care when I was in my 20s and it was not good. That's one of the reasons why social care is in a poor state, people just don't want the job.

@emmylousings

I hate the way we idolise the NHS, but don't seem to give a toss about 'social care', what is the actual difference between social care and health care, when you think about it?! None. We need a specific tax everyone over 40 pays towards their later life care. Everyone. Germany and Japan do this. It's not complicated. We need to let politicians know that we want, because they are pathetically afraid of the radical idea, that is using taxation to address social problems.

Yes! That's what I'm after - some anger that will generate solutions. Honestly where are live there are NO carers private or state funded who can care for my mum. She needs a a minimum two four times a day. Or residential. And to think those carers whi are working are being paid a pittance just adds insult to injury. We are lucky. We have the promise of line in care which we'll find from Sept. Meanwhile mum remains in a hospital where she doesn't need to be and where staff want her (in the nicest way) gone