How do we solve the social care crisis ?

[Worriedddd]

We have complex needs patients being stuck in hospital for up to 2 years. Some even more they are ready to leave just there's no social care placements and they can't get the right staff anyway. For minimum wage carers will have support people with very challenging needs. There is high risk of assault in many care settings employers don't offer the right training like de-escalation and breakway. . You could get more money working for Lidl and aldi. Even with immigration people leave and find another job. What's the solution to this ?

I haven't read the full thread to be fair. But yes there is that too.

I knew a couple of people who died in their teens with cearible pulsy (sorry spelling) neither were ever able to speak or have much quality of life but both were able to smile.
I've also watched a dementia patient who even lost that ability. It's such a cruel illness, there has to be a better way.
Quality is far more important than Quantity.

I'm of the opinion that fees and costs should be paid the same as the NHS through taxation.
People are often left at home far longer than they should be because of costs councils not wanting to pay.
It's seems cruel that someone who had a modest income but saved / denied themselves luxuries in the hope of leaving an inheritance to their kids ends up having to spend it on care home fees. Yet someone who spent every penny gets their fees paid.

I’m with you @Dinoteeth
we took our last dog to the vet to be euthanised when she’s had a stroke, went blind and didn’t know where she was - the vet advised that if we didn’t it would be cruel!
I don’t want to be that person in a care home (If I had the same condition as the dog) - I’m hoping the family don’t bother to visit as what’s the point? Just upsetting for them to come and not be remembered and I’d probably scare the Grandkids!

Just to put a different slant on things - my mum had dementia & was in a (wonderful) care home for her last eight months. My sis & I had POA & could decline on mum's behalf any treatment, & she had a DNR in place. But the only meds she had were for a UTI & a mood stabiliser.
So there WERE no meds which were extending her life. We go when God calls, right?

Women always end up providing the majority of unpaid care. It might not be what should happen, but back in the real world...

If you legally oblige families to care for elderly parents, you're essentially telling a large number of women and girls that their careers and personal aspirations don't really matter.

I'm sorry - I have to do it... as the usually forgotten Allied Health Profession....

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPISTS TOO!!!! (and yes even with adults where we do communication assessment, advice, training for carers and swallowing disorders)

Sorry - we're all still sulking from yet another year being "other" in the NHS staff survey!

The local teams thing is also a massive massive issue in some rural areas. I currently work Adult LD (my absolute fave area of working) and, while nursing and OT are based in patches - I get the entire north of an incredibly fucking big county to cover, largely on my own in terms of a communication caseload and the travelling is brutal. I'm lucky - I earn enough and get good enough mileage rates to cover that at the moment - but another petrol spike would do for me, and lower pay grades are going to struggle.

And absolutely utterly bucketloads of respect for the families of those needing high levels of care - whether at the family home or in a residential setting - you guys have absolute balls of steel to navigate through the system with the tenacity you do and put up with the literal and metaphorical shit.

And yes, my comments and observations are largely based upon the non-elderly population in social care - so mainly adult LD service users (although obviously sometimes we get the Downs/Dementia crossover as they tend to stay in LD services as a better place for them). Most of my guys have a blooming great quality of life though - and quite often have more sense to them than the world at large!

Agree with @RedAppleGirl. My Mother and Aunt lived till in their mid nineties and should have died late eighties it was unkind keeping them alive. They did however stay living in their homes. Only because my sister gave up her life and my Aunt was wealthy and had many carers including my other sister.

Yes I agree, the work with swallowing for people with dementia is challenging and vital. I'm currently working (in admin) in a LD home and yes our residents have a great quality of life. If I end up in a care home I hope it is as good as the one where I work.

And absolutely utterly bucketloads of respect for the families of those needing high levels of care - whether at the family home or in a residential setting - you guys have absolute balls of steel to navigate through the system with the tenacity you do and put up with the literal and metaphorical shit.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s really good to see it acknowledged.

I'd support that but it's too easy to structure round and massively disincentivises the wealthier.

Who would pay for the additional costs though? The patients, then the state when the patients' money ran out. So taxes would go up.

Yes taxes would need to be increased, also cut out the middle man and make social care less of a business that needs profit to please share holders and owners.
It's fairer than the current system of the staff subsidising care with low wages, crap conditions and providing their own equipment/paying for their own travel between clients.

If we want decent care in the UK the NHS, social care, schools all need better funding.
We need to pay for it. Simple.

Nothing is free, it needs to be paid for somewhere.

we need to create many many nursing homes fast

And there has to be a cross over point too, pay better wages, you'll have less people on top-up benefits.

No we don’t. We need to start allowing people to legally end their life when they’ve had enough.

Yes, and it's an appalling way to treat a workforce who are already amongst the lowest paid in society.

I work rurally as a home carer. I get paid £5.25 for a half hour call, but I don't get paid for the next half hour that it takes me to drive to my next client. So, in a 7am-10pm shift, 15 hours out at work, I'll get paid for 8 or 9 hours.

Add on the cost of fuel, and it's little wonder so many of my colleagues have left to work in retail.

Recruitment and retention is a massive problem in Social Care these days. Many companies, mine included, offer existing staff a £500 bonus if they can recruit a friend. But, in all good conscience, I couldn't recommend this to anyone.
I personally love it, I've done it for 26 years, I'm good at it and well thought of. But the sector is on its arse, and there's no real motivation from anyone to sort it.
A round of applause on a Thursday evening for a couple of months made us feel a little bit valued while it lasted, and helped to salve the conscience of those who are willing to do bugger all else.

@Q2C4

"Who would pay for the additional costs though? The patients, then the state when the patients' money ran out. So taxes would go up."

OMG ! Taxes would go up !!!! Oh dear !!!

Bring it on!!! You want a decent public services then you have to pay for it through a fair, redistributive tax system!

Blossomtoes · Today 11:57

Rafferty10 · Today 11:21

we need to create many many nursing homes fast

No we don’t. We need to start allowing people to legally end their life when they’ve had enough.

That too but not all elderly people want to end their life, l am a fan of assisted dying with very strict controls of course, but what about the otherwise able 65 year old who needs to recover from a knee replacement or hip surgery?

People like this need to have nursing homes to go to to free up NHS beds.

My FIL had to stay in hospital for 12 weeks following a hip replacement as he couldn't manage home alone, yet did not need to be taking up a hospital bed.

what about the otherwise able 65 year old who needs to recover from a knee replacement or hip surgery?

They go home and carry on with their life. Hip and knee replacement are minor ops these days.

What is this 'fair, redistributive system'? Basically those of us who are the ones already being taxed getting told to pay more tax, then likely as seems to be the plan getting told not entitled to state support?

As a separate point, we've reached the stage where we need to increase tax on wealth/assets not income. Otherwise you have an increasingly small pool of taxpayers bearing the increasingly large cost of providing care for a generation which unfortunately did not pay enough into the system to fund it themselves.

The problem is that wealth/property taxes are incredibly unpopular. People see them as the state 'stealing' their/their children's inheritance. Instead, they'd prefer taxpayers, including low and middle earners (who may have no hope of an inheritance themselves), to pay for their care through increased income taxes.

These are exactly the situations where family support should be the default. 65 year olds should not need to be in nursing homes to recover from an op unless there is no other option.

Stop asking women to take the financial hit to lower the tax bill. Its dishonest. Many of those same women will end their working lives being financially dependant on the State.

As a separate point, we've reached the stage where we need to increase tax on wealth/assets not income.

We’ve already reached that point. Care is essentially means tested on wealth. The NHS takes so long to treat people that older patients use their capital for procedures to be done privately. Most retired people I know see the NHS as an emergency care service to be used only if you have a heart attack or stroke.

It’s a worry, I live in a rural area in Scotland where the amount Of elderly far outstrips the amount of young people as all the opportunities are in towns and cities and so we have this problem where many come here to retire and there isn’t the young enough people here to work in care

anyway robots is my answer, get you up dressed food and meds etc then the current carers can be companions giving a bit of company each day