In a conversation at Gorleston library, Simon, a care worker with nearly 20 years’ experience across elderly dementia care, learning disabilities and home care, describes how outsourcing of council care homes and day centres since 2010 led to major cutbacks:
- Lower wages for new staff
- A two-tier workforce
- Loss of pension access
- Reduced holiday and sick pay
- Higher turnover
- Staffing shortages
- Reliance on agencies and care visas.
He says care pay is often minimum wage with no night or weekend enhancements, and doubts government promises such as a fair pay agreement or a social care commission will deliver.
Simon argues for an insourced national care service with proper pay, training and career structure, transparent staffing ratios, suitable purpose-built buildings, reduced paperwork pressures and enough staff to give residents autonomy, choice and better quality of life.
