Tackling the social care crisis will ensure people with a learning disability aren’t left behind. Jackie O’Sullivan, Acting CEO at learning disability charity Mencap, explains what the government must do to resolve the issues of recruitment and retention
The strains on social care are hitting the headlines almost daily. Local authorities face a dire financial situation, and social care providers are forced to make tough decisions. Central government is offering ad-hoc cash injections, quick fixes, and preventing long-term planning. All the while, demand for social care continues to increase, and the people reliant on it are the ones who will be affected.
There are around 150,000 vacancies in social care in England every day, and over a third of people are leaving the sector for good. But what is the impact on the 140,000 people in the UK with a learning disability who are supported within the community? In our new report, Why We Care: The Reality of Working in a social care system in Crisis, we examine the current social care environment, using insights from more than 360 frontline workers. The findings are both heartening and heartbreaking.
A third (34%) of those surveyed said they are motivated by a sense of purpose. People told us they found it rewarding to support people with a learning disability to achieve milestones like going to college or setting up a home. We heard about the ‘little’ things that made a big difference, like a support worker making a cookbook so the person they support can cook their favourite dinner. We even heard about two staff members at a service who supported a couple that had fallen in love with each other, helping with a marriage proposal.
Recruiting and retaining social care staff
The findings also showed a worrying picture. A quarter of social care workers we surveyed (26%) said they were having difficulty recruiting and retaining staff. Due to government funding, social care is currently in a position where providers cannot offer wages much above minimum wage levels. Many people are leaving to work in other sectors, like retail or logistics. As a result, the sector is spending more on agency cover, which is more expensive and is likely to impact the continuity of care people receive, so it cannot be a long-term solution.
The cost-of-living crisis
Two-fifths (39%) of frontline staff told us they were struggling financially. The cost-of-living crisis has hit many hard, and providers can only pay staff from the funding received from local authorities. Across the sector, we are hearing of social care workers skipping meals, cutting back on showers, using food banks or working long hours to get by.
I find it heartbreaking that support workers and service managers are making such sacrifices. The root of it all is a broken and complex funding system. Local authorities can only work with the funding they are able to raise combined with central government funding.
Ensure people with a learning disability aren’t left behind
One of our survey respondents told us support workers feel ‘invisible and forgotten’ by both government and society. The sad reality is that much of the public simply doesn’t know the breadth and skill of the work social care staff do. Our support workers provide personal care, cook and clean, administer medication, help people with job applications, and manage their finances.
The coming general election presents a golden opportunity to not only acknowledge the skill and passion of the workforce but also to fix the social care crisis and put it on a sustainable footing.
Our helpline team received more than 1,000 enquiries last year from families of people with a learning disability needing help with social care. This included those waiting months to get the social care they need or who have had their funded hours cut. We are hearing from stressed relatives plugging the gaps in social care themselves.
Tackling the social care crisis
Without the political will to invest adequately in social care and break the vicious cycle of high turnover and high vacancies, we will see an inexcusable step backwards in the care and support people with a learning disability receive or can access.
So, what’s the answer? With a general election looming, we need all political parties to commit to a long-term and funded plan for social care that includes ensuring social care workers get paid enough, in line with NHS band three workers, who currently earn up to £8,000 a year more for similar tasks. Experts say £8.4 billion needs to be injected immediately to reform the social care sector.
This is money well spent on every front; investment in social care is proven to boost the economy. For every £1 invested in social care, £1.75 is generated in the wider economy, and it will relieve pressure on the NHS by preventing avoidable admissions to hospital.
Social care for all who need it
Tackling the social care crisis will not be easy, but the results will be catastrophic if the next government doesn’t face this head-on. The demand for social care shows no signs of easing, so this isn’t an issue that will simply go away if ignored. Social care simply must be there for people with a learning disability and everyone else who needs it.
To join our Why We Care campaign, showing your support for social care workers and helping us campaign for better-funded social care and a national workforce plan, visit https://www.mencap.org.uk/
