The Problem With Adult Social Cate
Is the crisis in Social Care the reliance on Private Companies????
I’m no expert, I’m just panenslot login what is well known across the Care and Health sector as an Expert by Experience (I actually call myself a Life Experience Warrior).
I introduced myself as a Mentally Ill Retired Alcoholic…. (Perhaps more on that later?)
For a number of years, I’ve plied my craft as a Life Experience Warrior across the Care and Health sector, and I believe that part of the current crisis in Adult Social Care staffing is….
Now these are my own, perhaps unique, maybe unacceptable words for my beliefs….
The historic gutless bottling that happened a while back when Social Care decided to start farming out staffing to private companies, so the blame for anything that went wrong on something that wasn’t the not fit for purpose system we have in our country….
One of the unique things about me is I do not care whatsoever if what I have said above annoys anyone, actually I hope it does annoy people…!
Added to that I do not care whatsoever if what I’ve said above is right or wrong, I could not care less!!!!
If it is totally and utterly wrong at least it might push some of the people who make the decisions (often wrong decisions!) and have the power (very often the wrong people!) to make changes to think in a different way….
I recently went to a meeting of various groups of people, and I heard an example of exactly what I am saying….
The person speaking was from my local councils fostering service. The way I understood what they were saying was they were actively putting a concerted effort into rebuilding the number of available fostering families after allowing the private sector to build an unassailable stronghold which now have the ability to completely out spend them….
Now the council run foster care service is trying to rebuild their numbers and they are up against a sector that will pay approaching double to the foster carers than the council can offer, even though the private sector and councils’ sector is paid out of the same source of funding….
So effectively what the council now has to offer to its potential brand new foster families is much less than the private sector will pay, AND if they want to attract current foster families into their fold the offer they have to give is….
Come back to us and we will pay you less than the private sector are currently paying….
Who the hell is going to do something they have been doing for years and all of a sudden want to be paid a lot less…?
Erm….
NOBODY!!!!
So….
If you are inclined to say that when I said….
“The historic gutless bottling that happened a while back when Social Care decided to start farming out staffing to private companies, so the blame for anything that went wrong on something that wasn’t the not fit for purpose system we have in our country” ….
…. I would suggest you may want to think again….
What we now need to do is….
Again, my specific unique carefully selected choice of words….
Is….
- To strap on a pair, stop bottling the big tough decisions and change things…!
Every time a private sector companies contact comes up for renewal, cancel the contract and envelop the services back under the control of the council and Adult Social Care department….
My guess is reading that you will be thinking along the lines of….
“This idiot hasn’t got a clue what he’s talking about, that simply isn’t possible….”
WHY NOT????
Have you tried?
Have you conserved it?
I don’t know how much profit these private sector companies are making, you can work that out, but there must be profit in it or the private companies wouldn’t be doing it…. FACT!!!!
I have a perfect example of the sort of profits that must be put there….
A number of years ago I went to a meeting run by my local MP about Mental Health and what we need to do locally to make things better. The meeting was held on the premises of a private care home and at the bottom of the car park there was a purpose built, glass fronted garage with at least 5 classic cars….
Apart from thinking to myself….
“Are this lot taking the piss, people are paying thousands of pounds a week to be cared for at this very nice, probably excruciatingly expensive care home and just to rub salt in the wounds they have put on display a very significant and obvious display of just how much profit the owners of this care home are making….”
So….
Whats my plan…?
When the private care contacts come up for renewal, envelop the services the private care contractors back into council run Adult Social Care Services.
- I am assuming it is known what this private company has historically provided (at a profit!!!!). How many staff members, how many end users, what they have been paid in the last period of their contract etc etc.
- With the knowledge of above and the cancelled contract, offer all the private companies’ employees a job within council run ASC Services.
- Without the lucrative contract the private company will no longer be able to employ their staff, so they will be available to fill the roles now available at the council run ASC Services.
Obviously, I know it won’t be seen to be as simple as I am proposing, but that’s because for many years ASC has been far too risk averse.
Let’s be honest what’s currently on offer is not good enough and there is a chance that things may get more difficult before it gets better, and everyone starts to see the benefits of what I am proposing.
What are the many benefits of what I am proposing?
- Enveloping private companies’ services, staff and end users will allow a much more joined up service, the left hand will know what the right hand is doing…. Can that be said now?
- As more and more private companies’ services staff and end users are enveloped into the council run ASC Services the teams of carers can cover the area more effectively and efficiently, the logistics will be much simpler!
- Mrs Jones at 22 Huntlands Road and Mr Smith at 17 Huntlands Road can be cared for by the same team of carers.
- This will allow more time to give to the end users, better overall care, and much less time and cost for travelling.
- The caring teams will cover specific areas and as a team will be able to consult in team meetings about all of the end users covered by that team.
- Being able to consult with the team and the GP’s in the area with MCP’s and MDT’s will mean that sickness and holidays of area care team members more people will understand what Mrs Jones at 22 Huntlands Road and Mr Smith at 17 Huntlands Road and both Mrs Jones and Mr Smith can be made aware of each other, which offers a chance to reduce loneliness and isolation and will be able to build better relationships in the area with other local end users and members of that areas carers group. Etc, etc
Definitely have more to say but am I wasting my time or am I onto something?
questions
Purpose built classic car garage