Issue 134 25.01.23
The weekly online newsletter for the care sector
Intervention by Church should be wake-up call CAMPAIGNERS say a hardhitting intervention by an Archbishops’ Commission into the crisis in social care should be a wake-up call to the Government. In a new report, the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care has criticised the current state of social care, identifying ‘care deserts’ and describing care staff as ‘feeling overstretched and undervalued.’ And it says that despite “any number” of reports over the past 25 years there has been “little meaningful change”. The report says: “The architects of England’s welfare state in the 1940s could not have imagined that eight decades later so many people would be struggling to get essential care and support…” The Independent Care Group welcomed the report but said the church’s intervention was a terrible indictment of the Government’s current handling of social care. Chair Mike Padgham added: “It is a sorry state of affairs when the Church feels the need to intervene in the state of care. “But this welcome contribution from the Archbishops’ Commission must be a wake-up call to the Government on the crisis in social care. “We particularly welcome the report’s call for a universal entitlement to care – regardless of wealth and income and also its call for a national tariff of
care charges – things we have been campaigning for now for decades. The report describes the current care system as “complex, confusing, and difficult to navigate” and calls for “a fundamental and comprehensive redesign of care and support.” “Staff shortages have worsened, with ‘care deserts’ in parts of the country. For people with health as well as care needs, social care and the NHS are poorly coordinated and work as separate systems,” it adds. It calls for a “long-term plan for the recruitment and retention of paid carers as well as the redesign of roles. Their skill and contribution to people’s lives must be valued and given recognition so that social care is regarded as a rewarding career.” The report says Japan and Germany have seen ‘far reaching’ reforms; and Scotland and Wales are both recommending a ‘National Care Service’ to put care and support on an equal footing with the NHS. The Commission, launched by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, calls for a National Care Covenant which sets out the roles and responsibilities of government, communities, families and individuals It suggests three actions: rethinking attitudes to care and support; rebalancing roles and responsibilities; and redesigning the social care system.
Ninety-nine-year-old Joyce Ward is continuing to tick-off wishes from her ‘Turning 100 Bucket List’ with a visit to a chocolate factory. Joyce, who is a wheelchair-user and lives at Colten Care’s dedicated dementia home St Catherines View in Winchester, will celebrate her 100th birthday in May. To celebrate the milestone, she was helped to compile a list of 10 things she wants to do before her big birthday, including horse riding and a drive in a fast car. In December Joyce realised her wish to enjoy horse riding again with a trip in the specially adapted carriage at Broadlands Group Riding for the Disabled in Medstead. And this month she saw and experienced chocolate-making when she visited Chocolate Craft based in Old Alresford.
A roaring return home for Veronica IT’S NOT unusual to return from holiday and find an unexpected visitor, but Veronica Allan had the surprise of her life when she came home and found a dragon had moved in. Returning to her birthplace of Limekilns, Fife, Veronica discovered the eight-foot dragon statue in the back garden of an old cottage, where it was installed as an art project in 2018. She said: “It was quite the surprise, but I think it’s a fantastic addition to the village. My friends and I would have loved it when we were wains.” The 88-year old now lives at Roselea
House Care Home, where she says the residents have a lot less bite. In fact, she took two of her friends from the home, Janice and Bert, on her tour around memory lane. Ruth Goodman, manager of Roselea House, said: “We had a fantastic day in Limekilns, it was wonderful to hear Veronica’s stories about her childhood and we all returned home with a smile on our face.” After taking a look at Fife’s resident dragon, they headed to local pub The Ship Inn for tea, cake and other treats – the perfect end to a day exploring.
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