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

@Kendodd great idea for a hypothecated tax.

@SoreusBacchus

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.

My Bil had dementia, he died 6 years ago. We couldn’t get him a care package for love nor money, there just weren’t any carers to be found, the whole family were on our knees…Brexit hadn’t been thought of then.

Mybestgirl and the situation has got worse in those 6 years and then fallen off a cliff this last few months.

All I can say OP is that in some ways, it's good your mum is in hospital because we have care agencies pulling out of care packages in the community leaving people with no support simply because they cannot staff the calls. It's an absolutely dreadful state of affairs.

It was bad before Brexit, it's now in its worse crisis. Carers are expected to take on more and more responsibilities, dealing with utterly frustrating bureaucracy, insulting pay, long inflexible hours. It's frightening.

Brexit had a massive and totally predictable impact on care and hospitality. Anyone denying this is a fucking idiot.

Brexit had a massive and totally predictable impact on care and hospitality. Anyone denying this is a fucking idiot.

Likewise farming, haulage and Northern Ireland.

@Kendodd

Brexit had a massive and totally predictable impact on care and hospitality. Anyone denying this is a fucking idiot.

Likewise farming, haulage and Northern Ireland.

The fishing industry is still suffering predictable problems as well

It is really difficult - my son in law had a completely unexpected leg amputation a few weeks ago and was returned home within 4 days with no care package.

He was told to micro live in 1 room until OT could assess and get any adaptions - the waiting list is 9 months. He was given a wheelchair and a commode.

Luckily i know the system and called falls prevention who came after two weeks and they got an OT out much quicker.

My son in law is 42 and has two children one of whom has significant SEN and previously worked - after 9 months of lying in a bed all the time i doubt he would have ever have worked again.

My Mum was kept in hospital after a minor fall waiting for a care package and caught hospital acquired pneumonia and we lost her.

People are literally dying prematurely and losing all their independence - all because successive governments for the last 50 years have failed to plan for the aging population - this has not come out or nowhere it has been coming for 50+ years. I'm not too sure of the impact of Brexit as i worked predominantly in homes for people with Learning Disabilities/brain injuries/mental health and the vast majority of staff i see are from Africa.

@JoborPlay

Mybestgirl and the situation has got worse in those 6 years and then fallen off a cliff this last few months.

All I can say OP is that in some ways, it's good your mum is in hospital because we have care agencies pulling out of care packages in the community leaving people with no support simply because they cannot staff the calls. It's an absolutely dreadful state of affairs.

I have two friends, both of whom have mothers with dementia. They live in different council areas 4 miles apart. One council is great, the one my other friend and me live in is dire! In this area there just seems to be little to no help available. Not much change here in 6 years….

Depends what level of care she needs. I’m an OT in a rehab unit and we’ve got at least 6 patients in a similar situation who are stuck here for the foreseeable. The ones who need the highest level of care at home, so 4 times a day and maybe a night visit or 2 will be here ages unless they pay privately 🤷‍♀️ Yes she’s paid her taxes but so have millions of other people.

@BananaMilkshakeWithCream

Depends what level of care she needs. I’m an OT in a rehab unit and we’ve got at least 6 patients in a similar situation who are stuck here for the foreseeable. The ones who need the highest level of care at home, so 4 times a day and maybe a night visit or 2 will be here ages unless they pay privately 🤷‍♀️ Yes she’s paid her taxes but so have millions of other people.

Sorry if i've given the impression that I think she's special (tho she is to me, obv). I had hoped I'd gone out of the way to infer that this is crap whichever way you cut it. I've mentioned a lady in a neighbouring bed who has much less severe needs than mum but who has been waiting since mid July for a care package. Yes Mum will need double handed care at least 4 times a day, which is why we're going private and live-in - but even then there's no one available til the end of August. This is universal. There are no OT's in Mum's community hospital by the way. They are 'borrowed' infrequently from elsewhere - thereby obv depriving their main location of the service. It's a blimmin mess which you obv see day to day but which I am only just understanding and therefore venting my anger.

@shallIswim the more people who are aware of this crisis, and who raise it with their MP’s and local councillors the better.

It is absolutely outrageous that this entirety predictable situation has been allowed to happen.

There are no quick fixes, but the health and social care systems need to work much more closely, and care needs to be been as a career, not just a stop gap job. There needs to be on the job training, progression of skills, responsibilities and pay etc. Good terms and conditions, pensions etc to attract and keep people doing these jibs and really feeling valued for doing it. And we need more and more of them to enter the profession and stay to cope with our ageing population.

I’m glad to hear that you have a plan coming together even if it’s still a few weeks away.

Upamountain43

Traumatic amputation would always be a priority so it wasn’t who you know it is just the way it is.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/national-insurance-tax-rise-social-care-b1913502.html%3famp

Update

The only way you will get people to do the job is by raising standards and pay. And even that won't work for the terminally lazy in the British public (please don't try to say they don't exist, they just do, there aren't many thankfully, but there are definitely those who could work and don't deliberately).

It's the same as lorry drivers. For years, the British public has been treating them and carers like scum. Not allowing breaks, low pay, hurling abuse at them. Well, now that we decided to let the racist amongst us decide something huge, we are now stuck with having lost the workers that we had, and we are stuck with either trying to get the lazy to work (never gonna happen, you should see the excuses they use to get out of working), or we pay more tax and get people who do want to work into those jobs by paying them better.

We have no option now but to pay more tax to get better services. Although getting any services at all in my area would be nice. So the poor will become poorer, and the rich will complain because they can't have another holiday to Thailand or wherever.

I agree with PP who say we don't pay enough tax to fund the level of care that is needed.

Carers are overwhelmingly female, therefore shite pay and terrible working conditions have been accepted for many years. Brexit has exasperated the shortage, but I don't think having people prepared to do a job that is challenging physically and emotionally for minimum wage is aspirational; they should have also been paid more and the acceptance of cheap labour is going to be hard to shift in favour of better pay and conditions. I believe the government are debating spending more on social care at the moment actually.

@Booknooks

Carers are overwhelmingly female, therefore shite pay and terrible working conditions have been accepted for many years. Brexit has exasperated the shortage, but I don't think having people prepared to do a job that is challenging physically and emotionally for minimum wage is aspirational; they should have also been paid more and the acceptance of cheap labour is going to be hard to shift in favour of better pay and conditions. I believe the government are debating spending more on social care at the moment actually.

Apparently they are considering it, although it will take them a while of course. Then we will get the usual complaints on here about it, and how now suzie is annoyed that she cannot take Tiffany and tarquin to Disney land for the second time this year.

They're looking at raising income tax and contributions as a way of funding.
I would prefer a hike in inheritance tax but that seems to be untouchable.
But at least the issue is showing up brighter on the radar.

@shallIswim

They're looking at raising income tax and contributions as a way of funding. I would prefer a hike in inheritance tax but that seems to be untouchable. But at least the issue is showing up brighter on the radar.

A hike in National insurance by the look of it which will disproportionately affect the young.

@ilovesooty exactly. Which is why a link with inheritance tax is more fair. It certainly wouldn't bother me. Whereas the alternatives would definitely bother my young adult children.

Use your mum and dad's great assets to pay for a nursing or residential care home?

or we pay more tax and get people who do want to work into those jobs by paying them better.

I'm very happy to pay more tax if it improves social care. From the recent announcement it sounds like we will be anyway.

I agree a hike in NI affects the young.
Why is inheritance tax untouchable? Surely that would be better than young people with little wealth paying

YANBU. I’m a social worker and these conversations ARE STILL GOING ON. It’s honestly so infuriating. Fund it properly, it’s not like the money isn’t there.