End the market madness in social care

Nationalise and fully fund the care sector

By a Scottish care worker and Unison member

I work in Care.

I’ll give your loved ones personal care when they are unable to wash themselves, and I’ll treat them with dignity and respect throughout.

I’ll help the person with the learning disability to maintain their own home, supporting them to live as independently as they are able.

I’ll be there when a schizophrenic person reaches crisis point and becomes mentally unwell, and will negotiate the underfunded NHS services in order to get them the help they need.

I’ll talk the recovering addict out of using again.

I’ll still be doing all these things whilst trying to help them understand why their world has been turned upside down during this coronavirus pandemic.

I’ll be doing this without the option of staying at home in order to protect my family from the threat of this virus.

Staffing levels have dropped to around 70% of capacity due to people having to shield for three months.

This has left us in a position where 70% of staff have to do 100% of the work. Thankfully none of our service users are showing any symptoms, and the remaining staff so far are all healthy.

As the virus affects more people that situation will probably change, but these day-to-day care needs won’t.

I worry about my safety every time I go on shift. We have all seen the devastating impact that this virus can have, with the tragic reports from the care homes that have been affected.

More could have been done and should have been done to prevent these deaths. Unfortunately, the point of infection during the lock down in care is staff members unwittingly bringing the virus in to the care setting.

The failure of government to roll out screening tests for front-line staff has meant that we could be symptomless carriers, spreading it to the most vulnerable.

Proper PPE would help to mitigate this, but there has been supply issues with this. In order to access PPE from the NHS there has to have been a suspected case within your service, by which time it is probably too late.

The thousands of independent operators out there, who have been profiteering from care over the years, don’t have adequate stockpiles of gloves, masks, aprons, gowns, uniforms and eye-wear. These care providers, who charge thousands of pounds per place a week, are all vying for the limited supply of PPE that is out there in warehouses.

private sector madness

The madness of the private sector in care has been brutally cast into the light by this pandemic. There is no co-ordinated and organised response.

Thousands of providers are dealing with hundreds of suppliers of PPE, who are hiking the prices of basic equipment as the short supply has increased demand and they can make a quick buck.

The supplier used by my service has stopped wholesale pricing and is charging inflated unit prices as they can sell single boxes to private individuals worried about the virus.

When Covid-19 was first classed as a pandemic, before the ‘lockdown’ was announced and the schools were closed, the care provider I work for announced to staff anyone having to self isolate would need to claim statutory sick pay. With the schools closed you would not be paid if you had to take time off to look after your children.

Crazy schemes were devised by management, including staff staying at the service 24 hours a day if someone became infected. We were told that we were expected to provide care throughout the pandemic.

I work for a care provider ‘charity’. No recognition was given to the fact that we all had families that we were worried about and wanted to protect. The government have stepped in and funded our pay if we are sick. Childcare has been provided for key workers whilst the schools are closed.

This madness has to stop. There needs to be an immediate end to the private sector and charities within care. Local authorities should take over all care services in order to assess and oversee the response.

Stocks of PPE should be taken from suppliers and distributed to those who need it while ensuring they are trained to use it effectively.

The NHS should be provided with the tools and the capacity to ramp up testing and front-line staff should be screened immediately.

For years I have heard the rhetoric coming from the powers that be that I am an unskilled worker and my pay is held back accordingly. Now I have been told that I can have some of the applause every Thursday, and that I can buy a badge for an hour’s pay to say that I’m a carer.

It has also been announced that I’m still not worth even a tenner an hour, my pay will rise to just £9.30. Am I supposed to be thankful? I have seen on social media that now isn’t the time to talk about pay. If not now then when?

NHS staff, care workers and shop workers, all low paid, were all refused furlough as we are deemed essential.

If we are essential then surely we are worth a decent wage. £15 per hour is not an unreasonable request when what we do is essential.

If your pay is less than £15 an hour then I think you deserve a raise as well.