There is currently an opportunity to join the Scottish Care team as an Independent Sector Lead in Fife. Please see details below:
Job Opportunity: Independent Sector Lead (East Ayrshire)
The Inequity of Social Care – the latest blog from our CEO
The inequity of social care I’ve spent a lot of my professional life working in areas to challenge and address inequity and inequality. Indeed since I took over the role of CEO of Scottish Care a great deal of my focus has been on highlighting the challenges of unequal treatment in older people’s care and support. That has included the very real funding imbalance which has over time seen less and less proportionately allocated to resource older people care whether in the community or in care homes. But increasingly I believe that there is an overarching inequity at the heart of our health and social care policy and practice. At its centre is a critical question. Put simply what defines a support or service as social care and therefore currently chargeable and what defines a condition or illness as a health condition whose treatment and support is free at the point of delivery? I was reminded of this when I listened this week to a presentation from Alzheimer Scotland on their Fair Dementia Care campaign Alzheimer Scotland has recently published a report from the Fair Dementia Care Commission chaired by former First Minister Henry McLeish. At the heart of the report is a description of the life experience of thousands of our fellow Scots who live with or support someone living with advanced dementia. A number which is due to grow significantly in the coming years. As well as offering a definition of what is meant by advanced dementia the report highlights the confusing and complex maze of charging policies for social care services across Scotland’s local authorities which end up meaning that people with advanced dementia pay a staggering £50.9 million in care costs every year. The report does not call for the end of charging per se but for greater transparency, consistency and understanding. But I think one of its greatest services has been to shine a light on the inequity of social care and health in Scotland today. In the dictionary inequity is defined as ‘a lack of fairness or justice.’ Whilst the report from Alzheimer Scotland rightly highlights the inequity faced by people living with dementia I believe the inequity or lack of fairness goes even further. At root is it fair that if in life you are struck down with a life limiting cancer that you will receive your care and support free of charge but if you are someone living with dementia you will face charges for social care which might include disposing of your home and assets in order to pay for care home fees? Is it fair and right that many people living with neurological conditions are treated as having social care needs and not primarily health and clinical needs? I think not. We have too many individuals living with conditions such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Multiple Sclerosis and so on who are paying for the essential support that enables them to continue to live and contribute as citizens in our communities. Is it fair that a person who suffers the ill health that arises from frailty and age and requires appropriate support for that should have to pay over and above their lifetime contributions to taxation for that care including nursing care? Just as Scotland is seeking to create a rights-based social security system I am convinced that we need to seriously start a debate about the inequity, the lack of fairness and justice that lies at the heart of social care charging for specific conditions such as advanced dementia. But I am equally convinced that we need to go much further and start the conversation to move us to enshrining the human right to social care, to have your care and support provided equitably regardless of the condition or illness or disease, regardless of the realities of age or decline, that life deals you. In the words of Bill Gates: “Humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.” Dr Donald Macaskill @DrDMacaskill
Fair Work in Scotland’s Social Care Sector 2019
The Fair Work Convention has published its report Fair Work in Scotland’s Social Care Sector 2019
Scottish Care participated in the work of the Commission during the research that informed this report through Strathclyde University.
Scottish Care CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill said:
“As a member of the Commission, Scottish Care welcomes the broad conclusions of the Fair Work Commission’s report and we wholeheartedly support any work that seeks to drive forward human rights and equality in relation to the social care workforce.
“The research on fair work undertaken by Strathclyde University and the Commission’s own work highlight that the major issue for fair work in social care is the way in which we as a country continue to purchase and commission care. The model we have currently is profoundly disempowering for the worker and profoundly negative for terms and conditions.
“We are not critical of the concept of supporting the worker’s voice but to do so within a system that still purchases care by the minute, that treats people in a very transactional way in relation to commissioning, that prioritises getting more for less and which continues to devalue social care work, means that this voice in reality is a voice in silence.
“We are not going to sufficiently advance fair work if we don’t change the system. To achieve fairness in the workplace, we need fairness in social care contracts.
“Scottish Care is also concerned that where providers have sought to transform the way in which care is delivered by creating self-led and self-managed teams, that such empowering of the frontline worker has been resisted and under-resourced.
“In its own structures Scottish Care seeks to ensure that there is a mandatory front line worker voice contributing to debate and policy formation. This has led us to focus on areas of particular importance to the workforce such as worker mental health support, support for bereavement, and more focus on equipping the workforce in particular skills relating to dementia and palliative and end of life care.
“It is a matter of real sadness to us that resources for equipping the workforce through learning and development are continually depleted and reduced in contracts. Again, we believe we will not reform the social care workforce until we change the broken system which continues to seek to purchase care on the cheap.”
Latest blog from our CEO: Recognising Care
There is nothing quite like a young child running towards you carrying a paper certificate with ‘Gold Star Achievement’ written across it as they express great joy at their latest success. Recognition is fundamental to our life and to us gaining a sense of belonging and being valued. It can come in many different guises from the child with a gold star, to the affirmation of parents, the acceptance of friends to the thanks of grateful colleagues.
Yet anyone who has been involved in the care sector for any length of time will doubtless be more than aware that the work of social care is rarely valued and infrequently recognised in the way that it should be. Whether it is a pay that truly values the amazing professionalism or terms and conditions that treat the job of care as fundamental – all too often the sense of positive recognition and regard from a society that depends on good care seems to be missing.
So thank goodness for the Scottish Care at Home and Housing Support Awards.
There are tens of thousands of women and men working up and down in Scotland’s care at home and housing support services who are delivering amazing support and care which is literally life-changing and life-affirming. We have amazing examples of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the independent care sector. The problem is we often don’t talk about it, we rarely celebrate what we are good at, and too infrequently value those whose work is exemplary.
There are many reasons why you should consider nominating someone you know or a project or piece of work you have come across or are involved with for these awards and the first is that the chances are that unless you do it no-one else is going to.
Unless you take some time to fill out the nomination then the great project which has meant that people are more engaged in their communities; the home care worker who goes that extra mile in supporting families facing the distress of living with dementia; the worker who has changed the way in which people who require support because of a disability or mental health condition are included by their local communities – all of them will remain in the shadow and their story, their inspiration, the example of their excellence will go unrecognised and unheard.
Social care is all about people – and usually the self-same people who make a difference to so many of our lives – are unassuming and want to remain in the background. The Scottish Care Awards are your chance to help to shine a light on excellence, on practice that is more than ordinary, and workers that deserve affirmation and recognition.
So tell their story and be their voice and get nominating today.
Care at Home & Housing Support Awards 2019 – nominate throughout February
Scottish Care response to White Paper on Immigration
Scottish Care believes that many of the proposals in the current White Paper on Immigration are wholly inadequate in addressing the needs of the social care sector in Scotland.
Scottish Care published research in late December 2018 illustrating the considerable recruitment and retention challenges facing the care home sector.
It stated that:
- 8.1% of care home staff are from out-with the UK, including 5% from the EU. This means that the consequences of Brexit for the movement of people is likely to have a significant impact on the care home sector.
- Growing evidence of geographical variation with some providers with 30% EU staff in some parts of the country.
- 77% of services have staff vacancies, including 61% with carer vacancies. Services have staffing gaps across all roles, including a third with vacancies for senior care posts, a quarter with vacant domestic posts and nearly 20% with gaps in leadership and management roles.
- 41% of care homes have found recruitment of staff more difficult in 2018.
- Up to 44% of care homes rely on the EU as a recruitment pool for different categories of care staff.
Full report – https://www.scottishcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Care-Home-Workforce-Data-Report-2018.pdf
Dr Donald Macaskill, the CEO of Scottish Care said ahead of giving evidence at the Scottish Affairs Committee:
“The social care sector in Scotland is significantly dependent upon the skills and talents of our migrant colleagues. Over the years they have enriched the care which lies at the heart of our care homes and home care services across Scotland. We are very concerned that the uncertainty around Brexit is creating turmoil in their lives and in the lives of already vulnerable individuals.
“The White Paper on Immigration does little to offer social care providers the sense of reassurance they require after Brexit. We estimate that under the new regime envisaged in the proposals that as many as 85% of the current migrant workforce would not be able to come to the country.
“We see the White Paper on immigration to be a huge missed opportunity. Scotland needs to continue to attract the best from across the world and the failure to identify social care as a priority sector is very disappointing. This is compounded by describing social care as ‘low-skilled’ which fails to acknowledge the sector as requiring high levels of skill and qualifications.
“Further, the salary requirements in the proposals fail to take account of the real world of social care in Scotland. The envisaged threshold of £30,000 is set at a rate which fails to acknowledge that the average salary in social care is £18,000.
“Scottish Care is calling for a flexible, realistic, person-centred model of immigration that looks at the needs of the receiving communities which in Scotland’s case shows that social care is urgently in need of migrant skills and abilities.”
Scottish Care Awards 2019 – tell us what good home care has meant for you
In 2017, Scottish Care launched this lovely film – created by Michael Rea – showcasing what good care means from the perspective of those working in and being supported by services who were finalists in Scottish Care’s Care at Home & Housing Support Awards.
The Awards are a fantastic opportunity to highlight all that is fantastic about the support provided through care at home and housing support services – even though most people think they are just doing their job!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to celebrate your colleague, service or client by submitting a nomination in the 2019 Awards. As a sector, we need to get better at showing people what good care really means and the difference it makes.
Nominations are open until the end of February. Find out more here: https://www.scottishcare.org/care-at-home-housing-support-awards-2019/
Scottish Care welcomes new report on Health and Social Care Integration
Since 2016, work has been underway across Scotland to integrate health and social care services in line with the requirements of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.
Evidence is emerging of good progress in local systems which has also meant that independent sector providers have been more involved and engaged. However this has been patchy at best.
The pace and effectiveness of integration need to increase. At a health debate in the Scottish Parliament on 2 May 2018, the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport undertook that a review of progress by Integration Authorities would be taken forward with – the Ministerial Strategic Group for Health and Community Care.
Scottish Care has been pleased to be involved in this review of Health and Social Care Integration by having membership of the group through our CEO Dr Donald Macaskill.
The purpose of this review is to help ensure we increase our pace in delivering all of the objectives at the heart of integration.
A report has been published which draws together the group’s proposals for ensuring the success of integration.
https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0054/00545762.pdf
Commenting on the publication Dr Macaskill stated:
“The success of integration is central to achieving positive outcomes for those who use both health and social care services. I am pleased that the independent care sector has been recognised as a critical player in achieving this success.
Care home, care at home and housing support providers from the independent sector will continue to engage constructively and to work collaboratively with our statutory partners to achieve the real change we all want to see happen.”
