From the Editor The sector has been dismissed by Government once again, as the Budget gave no mention of any money specifically for social care. Many are disappointed, but there’s also a concern that this will only add to other pressures. The immigration proposals put forward earlier this year have also disregarded the sector. The care worker roles that we desperately need to fill are not paid at a high enough wage to allow employers to recruit from abroad, and with no extra funding coming our way, and the increases in minimum wage due to come into effect any day, the chance of providers being able to meet the salary thresholds to hire overseas workers is, frankly, slim to none. On page 20, Liz Jones of National Care Forum offers an overview of the new system, her thoughts on the impact this has, and how it could work in social care.
sector experiences, it’s hard not to ask why Government refuses to offer solutions. Matt Hancock has requested input in advance of crossparty talks, which is a positive step, but what will it amount to? I recently attended a lecture hosted by Care England, where Baroness Camilla Cavendish talked about the issue of ageism. She spoke on the need for societal change in the perception of the older population, saying we must rethink how we look at the ‘work timeline’ and how we age. Perhaps a change in view from Government would be useful in establishing the importance of looking after this part of the population. While social care is for adults of any age, it is often regarded as a service for ‘older people’; it’s vital that their value is appreciated, so that they are not a ‘burden’ but a resource. Des Kelly OBE has written on this topic in Straight Talk on page 50.
AN AGEIST ATTITUDE
CORONAVIRUS
With the continuous let-downs the
We are also seeing the issue of
Editor, Angharad Burnham discusses the ever-increasing pressures the sector faces and asks why Government is delaying action.
ageism extending into the way coronavirus is being handled. A quick Twitter search will show the dismay that the issue is (at the time of writing) being somewhat brushed under the carpet, with a view that because it’s worst for older people and those with disabilities, it’s not too much of a problem. We do not take this view, and are looking at all of our CMM Insight events in the coming months to ensure we are doing what we can to protect our delegates and all the people they care for. With this in mind, we have postponed our Northamptonshire Care Conference to 16th July 2020, and will keep providers abreast of
any other changes to our events. In the meantime, stay up to date with best practice in coronavirus by using the guidance on www.gov.uk, and keep learning with the CMM website. Explore thought leadership articles in our Knowledge Hub and find services that can help you run your business in our online resource finder. For registered managers who might find themselves facing increased stress as a result of the pressures currently facing the sector, there’s also the CMM Wellbeing Area, with organisations to contact and useful blogs. Providers can become a member for free.
Email: editor@caremanagementmatters.co.uk Twitter: @CMM_Magazine Web: www.caremanagementmatters.co.uk
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CMM April 2020
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