UNISON have conducted a survey of 1600 care employees and has reported "dangerously low staff numbers".
Responding to the report, Homecare Association CEO Dr Jane Townson said:
“We are so sorry that older and disabled people receiving care services, and their families, are suffering as a consequence of workforce shortages. It is also very stressful for careworkers to feel they are unable to meet needs adequately, when their motivation is to improve lives.
All along, we have raised concerns about the impact of central government policies on the safety and well-being of older and disabled people. Levels of unmet need are high, and rising. Funding cuts to councils over many years have led to rationing and poor approaches to commissioning and purchasing of homecare. In turn, this has resulted in poor pay, terms and conditions for the workforce.
During COVID-19, homecare workers continued to visit people in their own homes every day, whilst GPs, district nurses, social workers, housing managers and CQC inspectors worked remotely. Our workforce feels exhausted and undervalued. It’s easy to find better paid jobs in hospitality and retail that don’t require vaccination, so it’s hardly surprising careworkers are leaving in droves.
We call on the government to invest adequately in homecare and our workforce so that we can all live well at home and flourish in our communities.”
Actual quotes from care workers in a survey of 1,600 care workers:
— UNISON - UK's largest union (@unisontheunion) November 24, 2021
“The dying aren’t dying with dignity because there’s not enough staff to sit with people in their final hours”
Read the full report https://t.co/4dtlGtbHAY pic.twitter.com/4Yz6CNpqb6
Care home patients 'left in dirty beds and denied proper baths' due to staffing crisis https://t.co/AdcSXyViff
— i newspaper (@theipaper) November 24, 2021
