London borough introduces wide-ranging residential care charter

Southwark Council has agreed a residential care charter that will improve the terms and conditions for all residential care providers in the London borough. The charter is also intended to drive up standards and lead to better quality of care for the most vulnerable residents within the community. UNISON today welcomed the move, which was inspired by the union’s own residential care charter, while repeating its call for “a national plan to fix social care pay and set standards”. Southwark’s charter lays out the council’s expectations regarding high quality care, which it says exceed the current standards set by the Care Quality Commission. Additionally, it sets out how care home staff in Southwark should be valued and supported in their work: all care home staff will be paid at least the London Living Wage; they will be paid for the time it takes to carry out a proper handover between shifts, ensuring safety and continuity of care for residents; zero-hour contracts will not be used in place of permanent contracts, unless requested by staff; training must be free and carried out in work time. Councillor Evelyn Akoto, Southwark cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We want safe, high quality and ethical care for all. Our new charter protects vulnerable residents living in care homes and the remarkable people who have worked tirelessly to keep them safe throughout the pandemic. “While providing care is often a vocation, this does not mean staff should n...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article News local government residential care residential care homes Source Type: news