The alarming crisis in health and social care

“As it prepares to turn 70, the NHS is coming towards the worst decade in its existence as far as funding goes,” began the discussion of health and social care. The mover of the motion said that, “services have been repeatedly run down by a government that prefers tax cuts for the wealthy to a well-funded NHS… we now have a permanent winter for our NHS and workloads and stress loads have gone through the roof for many members.” Tracy Holmes, from Sefton local government branch, told delegates about the bad practise in homecare she had witnessed: from visits of just five minutes scheduled to homecare workers being denied ID cards by their employers and having to persuade vulnerable people to let them in to their homes. Many members spoke of how critical it is to address the issues of health and social care together, and that problems in one affect the other. One member pointed out that one of the many problems with the privatisation of much of social care is that the recently-won pay rise for NHS workers will not apply to social care workers who work for private companies. A moving speech on behalf of disabled members was made by Kath McGuinness, who said “if anyone understands that health and social care is in crisis, it’s disabled people.” As a low-paid woman working as a cook in a residential care home for elderly people with Alzheimers, she stressed that “we must protect our heavily stretched health and social care service for disabled people. My own mam...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article health health care NDC 2018 save care now social care Source Type: news