Forum Topic

Matt in the Telegraph today.....

Ivonne Holliday ● 49d15 Comments

Difficult to maintain any sort of quality service when you have such low pay and high turnover rates.These are shocking rates of retention. The pro-low wage brigade are obviously living in a different time or reality! "While the turnover rate for internationally-recruited staff in the frontline ‘Care Worker’ role was 30%, the turnover rate for domestic recruits into Care Worker roles was 41.1%.29% of international recruits were male, but men only accounted for 15% of newly-recruited British care workers."https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/Topics/Monthly-tracking/Recruitment-and-retention.aspx

Ed Robinson ● 48d

Michael, I agree.  There are some care home staff doing the most basic tasks: washing residents, changing bedlinen, making cups of tea.   They are agency staff and some will not have any sense of responsibility for doing their job well.  Probably a tick box culture.  I suggest their supervisors should be proper full-time/part-time staff on salaries and perks so that they are made to feel it matters if they do their job well.  
When my mum went into a carehome, I thought it would lift the weight off my shoulders, instead it brought a different set of worries along.  I had to visit the carehome to keep an eye on what they were doing.  The system needs complete reorganisation.

Martine Guy ● 49d

I think my mother must have been OK with her care home because one when she was searching for words she referred to it as "this hotel"! 

Michael Ixer ● 49d

Thinking back to my late mother's care home there were several types of staff. Those providing nursing care and dispensing medicines, some arranging activities for those in care, and others providing basic care such as escorting people to the toilet, bathing, dressing, etc. They would have needed training in lifting and operating hoists for some who were not very mobile to avoid harming the patients and themselves.They also seemed to spend a lot of time filling in paperwork, I think recording the state of those being cared for, what they'd eaten, etc - must admit my memory is a bit hazy on that one!

Michael Ixer ● 49d

Michael, can you tell me what training you think someone needs to work in a carehome for older people.  How many days/months does it take to learn how to feed someone or wipe their bottom?  What needs improving at the basic level is management. Here is an example of what happened to us:  I was unhappy with my mum’s bed linen, as it was too complicated for her, as she was used to duvets.  I took in about 3 duvets as they kept going missing and I would go into her room and find a screwed up sheet and bed cover instead.  When a medical person called on her, they put a safeguarding notice on her because of the inadequate bedding.  Never did I think this would happen in a carehome.  Thousands of pounds are being spent on fees. The whole carehome sector needs reorganising.  I think we have enough people in this country to do the jobs, under proper management.

Martine Guy ● 49d

Thank you Michael.Yes, perhaps the WFH comment was far too subtle?Martine's suggestion makes sense.  Paraphrasing the saying, where there is a need there is a way.

Ivonne Holliday ● 49d

Care Homes also need Medical Staff, a foreign worker needs to understand English to be able to hand out Medication. Perhaps there are jobs for cleaners in the homes, but otherwise I'm sure if English residents are in the home it must be very frustrating keep trying to explain anything if you have a problem. Or you are ignored and just a number, while they only talk to each other.

Barbara Stevens ● 49d

Yeah, isn't the WFH commenting on the lack of UK workers applying - all very well having training schemes but if no one is applying they're not much good, are they?Martine possibly has the solution: robots; i believe that's  the solution the Japanese are looking at:https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-robots-may-hold-key-nursing-japans-ageing-population-2025-02-28/#:~:text=The%20150%2Dkg%20(330%20lb,shortage%20of%20aged%2Dcare%20workers.

Michael Ixer ● 49d

"I thought it was.."And the work from home?? I don't think so.According to R4, care workers recruited abroad receive training in the UK. Recruitment schemes are already in place.

Ed Robinson ● 49d

I thought it was highlighting the mismanagement and underfunding of the care system over the decades and the lack of planning: if you cut the work visas and haven't got a training & recruitment scheme already in place to supply staff with UK employees the care services will probably collapse. If care staff are to be adequately paid it means higher charges and probably raising taxes whichever government cuts the work visas. 

Michael Ixer ● 49d

From what I’ve seen of some of the “care” sector, AI robots would do a better job.

Martine Guy ● 49d

Ooh Ed, now you're raining on Yvonne's parade! :)

Sue Hammond ● 49d

Care work is very low pay for a British worker or a non-British worker.Obviously someone settled will have higher living costs.Now if care work was highly paid then the cartoon would have a point.It just looks like someone making fun out of the low to me."Rate will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour in April 2025, benefiting many care staff, while raising social care costs for councils"https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/10/29/pay-boost-for-many-thousands-of-care-workers-as-government-raises-national-living-wage-by-6-7/

Ed Robinson ● 49d

Indeed!

Ivonne Holliday ● 49d

Very apt!

Michael Ixer ● 49d