Throwing money at the problem isn't helpful if you just hire a bunch of people who aren't RIGHT for the job. That said, there is no respect for care staff nowadays. It's seen as a low-paid, "clean up people's shit" type of job and therefore why would anyone want to go into it?
A few things that need changing:
Salaries: If you want to attract people into the job you need to pay decent rates. I can make more working at Tesco than I do dealing with difficult, challenging individuals with complex needs. It must be seen as a profession and be rewarded as such.
A standardised vocational program for all care staff: We should equip carers to be professionalised, and this means a set standard that all social care staff must meet. This means a code of conduct, training and support to progress.
Stronger emphasis on informal carers: Why are we relying on state funded social care (or even privately funded) when we could fund people to look after their own family members? We already rely heavily on care givers of family/friends - support people to care for their family/friends by funding it adequately. If I have a sick relative, I can't work and look after them simultaneously. This needs to change.
Nationalisation: We shouldn't be throwing away billions a year to private providers. They skim off profits and give dividends to shareholders. Social and Health Care should NEVER be for profit because that's when corners are cut. Money spent on publicly owned services eventually get pumped back into the system through taxation of employees etc. It would also be FAR cheaper. Hence why privatised services get given back to the NHS when private companies can't compete (price vs service provided).
On a side note, there needs to be a REALLY heavy focus on the fact if we want a service, we MUST have an adult conversation about how it is paid for. Because this country is full of people who want a service but aren't willing to stump up the funds for it. We haven't got a bottomless pit of money, and it has to be paid for.
The other thing is we need to be MUCH more radical re: the culture in the UK of not taking care of ourselves. Much of the issues facing social care are at least in part related directly to people not taking good decisions re: their health. For example, obesity is a HUGE crisis, leading to diabetes, heart conditions etc. the fact is we have to take much more responsibility over our bodies and health if we are to stem this problem. Just throwing money at it isn't enough. We need to value the services we have, and that means not needlessly causing ourselves more physical ailments that will cost the system billions a year.
I am NOT talking about neurological conditions/disabilities or other problems that are beyond our control. I am talking about the fact we spend hundreds of billions on preventable conditions that need social care support. Diabetes, hypertension, alcohol or drug related conditions etc are all HUGE drains on the system. Have a stroke, you may need 24-hour care. We need to drive the message that a stroke is something which is at least in part preventable and that it is a responsibility of each one of us to avoid these things happening. That isn't to blame those who have strokes, though if you smoke 40 a day, have a few take aways a week, barely move from your sofa etc it is hardly surprising you have one.
I've worked in the sector for decades. NOBODY seems to want to face up to their own responsibility to society re: doing everything they can to avoid needing extra care and support services. If you want the righ to "free" health and social care, then you must also have a responsibility to avoid needing it unless necessary. This shouldn't be controversial, but people will scream about it.