Workers tell the human stories behind the cuts as a UNISON survey exposes the shocking reality of
Scotland's care services.
“It’s getting worse. I don't know where its going to end, no one cares about the patient or client anymore”, one worker told the
'Scotland: It’s Time to Care' survey which was published today.
Another warned: "“Clients are losing out, care is not given properly, clients are missed out or forgotten about, no one cares or listens to staff or clients.”
Poignantly one worker said “I feel worthless.” If that is how they feel, what about the people they are desperately trying to care for?
The BBC's File on 4 last week broadcast an important analysis of the state of home care. A survey of all local authorities in England discovered severe cuts in spending on care services leading some home care providers to withdraw their operations because of inadequate funding. However the real impact of the cuts is being born by elderly and disabled service users whose quality of care is being badly reduced and the low paid workforce struggling to deliver a decent service with inadequate resources and time. In the programme Labour's shadow health minister Andy Burnham acknowledges that previous governments across the board have failed to integrate with heath care and properly resource social care. Every UNISON branch which organises in councils which commission home care services must press for the adoption the union's ethical care charter:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03szh9m
http://www.unison.org.uk/upload/sharepoint/Research%20Material/Final%20Ethical%20Care%20Charter%20PDF.pdf
Yesterday’s
report by Leonard Cheshire Disability which highlighted the increasing use by councils of short 15 minute care visits to elderly and disabled people echoed longstanding concerns of UNISON members working in the homecare sector. The realities of frontline working in homecare are spelled out in UNISON’s groundbreaking
ethical care charter which also sets out best practice for the commissioning of homecare services. The
False Economy website gives voice to the too often unheard views of people who require homecare services but are faced with worsening levels of provision as cash strapped councils struggle to meet demand for social care.
