Carers
Squeezing the balloon
Resources for social care are down and demand is pent up and rising says Iain MacBeath, but now must be the time to realise people’s ambitions for more flexible personalised support.
The importance of caring for the carers
During Carers Week, Sally Hopper outlines how her own experiences have given her an invaluable perspective in advocating for carers at work at Hertfordshire CC.
A singular opportunity for the social care workforce
Better pay is crucial to stopping workforce ‘churn’, says Stephen Chandler. The impact of COVID-19 on the economy is a chance to highlight social care as a growing sector that can offer secure careers and be a local engine of recovery, he adds.
Government should invest wisely to harness ‘robot power’
Steve Carefull examines how we can create the conditions for initiatives such as cobots to be scaled into the mainstream to mitigate the UK’s social care workforce challenge.
One in nine care workers not tested weekly
A government pledge to test all care home staff every seven days is not being met, according to a survey published today.
Persist and survive
We will get through and beyond the ‘six-month wall’ and survive this crisis by working together and looking out for each other, says president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services James Bullion.
Pay boost for care workers following tribunal
A group of homecare workers have been awarded £100,000 in backdated pay in a tribunal ruling that could have further implications for the sector.
COVID-19: A perfect storm for technology innovation in social care?
Carers must be enabled to remain in the profession for longer, say Graham Allen and Steve Carefull, and early indications from Hampshire suggest ‘cobots’ may be one way this can be achieved.
Immigration plans branded an 'embarrassing shambles'
The Government’s latest plans for post-Brexit immigration rules have been branded an ‘embarrassing shambles’ after they failed to include care workers.
Social care is running out of cash
Social care could run out of money to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis by the end of the summer unless the Government steps in with more cash.
Older carers ‘forgotten’ by care system says charity
Older carers have been ‘forgotten’ by authorities despite them bearing the brunt of the pandemic, a charity has warned today.
Deadly risk to social care staff revealed
Social care staff are at higher risk of dying from coronavirus than other occupations, Public Health England has revealed.
Charity launches Care academy
Education charity, The Shaw Trust, has launched a new Care Academy in response to the national skills shortage that has been highlighted during the COVID-19 crisis.
Rewarding our invisible frontline workers
Claire Fox says we can reflect on what kind of a changed world we want to inhabit after the pandemic – and commit to embracing some lessons moving forwards.
Care providers experience tenfold hike in costs of protective equipment
Suppliers of protective equipment are charging as much as 10 times the normal amount for their products as supplies grow scare, care companies have told the BBC.
‘Social care needs you’, retired care workers told
Council chiefs urge retired care workers to return to work in order to boost an over-stretched social care workforce in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
£12m cash boost for council care workers
A council plans to put an extra £12m in the hands of its 30,000 care workers by adding two per cent to its council tax.
Council disappointment at Lincolnshire health visitors strike
Senior Lincolnshire CC officials have expressed their disappointment after a number of health visitors started a month-long strike yesterday.
Robotics in care; a question of trust?
PA Consulting is trialling 'cobots' (collaborative robots) in care settings - and reactions have so far been positive, says Lesley Grant. If the trial is successful, cobots could be an effective way to bridge the care gap, she adds.
Three thoughts on Brexit
Claire Kober offers three thoughts on Brexit - and says that as fantasy politics grips Westminster and Whitehall, it’s time for local government to do what it does best: delivering ambitious solutions to everyday challenges.
