Why do #socialcare workers stay in their jobs despite low pay? Really valuable report from @resfoundation suggests a) they like their jobs (the caring, autonomy) b) few other jobs offer the flexibility they need. Short thread… resolutionfoundation.org/publications/w…
Here’s the evidence on job satisfaction. #socialcare may not do better than all work but it does better than the other low-paid work with which it competes. (The difference isn’t huge but it’s there).
And this is one of the attractions - the sheer demand for #socialcare workers means it’s relatively secure compared to other sectors like hospitality, leisure, food processing.
All this may help explain why care workers tend to stay within #socialcare rather than move to other sectors (interesting that home care staff move more than residential, by the way).
But pay remains a big issue (satisfaction with it is getting worse, says the report) and this suggests that failure to pay even the statutory minimum is more of a problem in #socialcare than in other sectors.
So terrific stuff from @nyecominetti. I am though going to have to ask him to explain this graph to me 😉
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Relaxing immigration rules for overseas careworkers in 2021 was the govt’s single most effective action on #socialcare. It brought down vacancies. Tightening the rules again is a real risk because, while vacancies have fallen, they are still higher than before COVID-19.
This level of vacancies is not ok. It may not be at the crisis level of 2021/22 but it still means that in many places, at many times, providers can’t recruit. That has a huge impact on people using services, on families (who have to step in) and on existing, overworked staff.
The new rules involve a ban on overseas workers bringing families. @JamesCleverly says this won’t affect applications because many care workers will want to come anyway. Let’s hope so but he should publish his evidence and show the decision to tighten rules was not taken lightly.
Today's @thefabians report on a National Care Service offers thorough analysis of #socialcare problems and wide-ranging proposals for reform. It was commissioned by @UKLabour, perhaps the next govt, so should command attention. But it has issues. A thread. independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
The report is comprehensive and, in the main, detailed. There are 48 major proposals, grouped in 10 sections: structure and identity, workforce, co-production, rights, carers, access, models of support, providers, affordability, money.
FOUR big proposals stand out to me...
1> Overall, the direction is toward greater national direction and control over #socialcare. National govt will be responsible for #socialcare funding, provider pricing, workforce pay rates, strategy, leadership and branding. That is a major change from the current system
Today’s @skillsforcare report paints a seriously grim picture of the #socalcare workforce situation. It’s not just bad, it’s the worst it’s ever been and may well be deteriorating further. A thread…
First, the vacancy rate. After 2 years of small improvements, look at the huge jump in vacancies between 2020/21 and 2021/22. Then look at the further increase (light green bar) to August this year. This is a problem that isn’t going away.
Vacancies aren’t just a #socialcare problem, they affect the wider economy too. But this chart shows that #socialcare is faring much worse than other sectors. The vacancy rate is 10.7% in social care compared to 4.3% elsewhere.
The plan announced today by @theresecoffey to support #socialcare falls far short of the measures needed to ensure people get the support they need this winter and beyond. It was also, alarmingly, saw social care entirely through an NHS| lens. A thread. gov.uk/government/pub…
There were 3 measures announced, of which only one has real resources - a £500m fund to support hospital discharge. Details are scarce but it looks like targeted reinstatement of parts of the hospital discharge fund and recruitment/retention fund, both scrapped earlier this year.
The money is of course welcome and necessary but its short term nature and limited focus on discharge means it offers no more than a couple of stitches to the gaping wound that is the state of #socialcare at the moment.
We’re expecting a statement from @theresecoffey on hospital discharge today. It certainly needs urgent action but a thorough plan will require more than just short term £££ and a focus on more than just #socialcare. A quick thread with some stats.
Historically, delayed discharges have not been mainly been due to #socialcare. Before COVID-19, it was responsible for only a THIRD of delays (the biggest issue: home care packages). The rest were due to NHS issues. There are no recent stats on this NHS/socialcare split though.
Have things got worse for #socialcare since then? Yes - there are fewer staff. The vacancy rate rose to 10.7% in 2021/22 (and may now be even worse). The biggest problem is home care, with a 13.2% vacancy rate. All this might well well be pushing up #socialcare delays.
Another damning report on #socialcare today, this time from @CommonsLUHC: “The Government currently has nothing more than a vision [for social care], with no roadmap, no timetable, no milestones, and no measures of success.”
A thread on some key points… committees.parliament.uk/committee/17/l…
The MPs commend the Government for “introducing reforms to the sector where previous Governments failed to act”. But they say it has “not come close to rescuing #socialcare, and needs to be open with the public that there is a long way to go.” So, a long way from being ‘fixed’.
It also urges the govt not to ignore the immediate crisis in the sector: “The Government is focused on long-term reform of adult social care, but in order to get to the future it needs to save the sector from the brink of collapse.”