PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 28
EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT Welcome to the latest edition of The Carer Digital! “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.” ROSALYN CARTER Our front-page story makes rather alarming reading adult social care has 112,000 vacancies in England on any given day! The report states there had been a slight reduction in job vacancies within the sector, and this will come as no great surprise. We publish a sister publication for the hospitality and licensed on trade sector which has been devastated by the pandemic, many businesses enforced to close completely, and others being forced into periodic lockdowns and severe restrictions. The hospitality sector has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, so it comes as no great surprise that many will migrate to the care sector. They too are dedicated and hard-working people and I think will fit in well! It is, of course, good news, but as the headline states it is, at the moment, “papering over cracks”, and the sector is facing a critical skills shortage. Leading industry observers and sector bodies have been warning of the skills shortage for years and have been warning about the impact when the UK leaves the EU and adopts a points-based immigration system from 1 January 2021. There is now a real opportunity to attract people into this vibrant and caring sector. The hospitality sector is warning of up to 500,000 job losses. This service sector employs many hard-working, talented and trained staff easily make the transition into care. But the government has to make the sector attractive. Professor Brian Bell of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently called for better social care funding so higher wages could be paid instead of relying on “migrant workers to fill the gaps” he added: “The risks of this funding increase not happening in a timely manner are stark.” He also said, that MAC remained “particularly concerned” that the sector would “struggle to recruit the necessary staff if wages do not increase as a matter of urgency”. “The problems in terms of workforce in social care are not really about immigration, they are about the fact that wages are very low in that sector, often minimum wage, and that isn’t an attractive enough salary to attract resident workers in the UK.” The Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated how much the nation owes to healthcare staff, care workers, and support staff, and the government must address the elephant in the room. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner recently said that low pay in the industry is a "moral outrage" given the sacrifices of staff during the coronavirus pandemic, and she is absolutely correct!
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WEBSITE: www.thecareruk.com EDITOR Peter Adams
Editor
SALES EXECUTIVES Sylvia Mawson David Bartlett Guy Stephenson
Peter Adams
TYPESETTING & DESIGN Matthew Noades I would also take this opportunity to thank the sector for the many nominations received for our “Unsung Hero” award. The response was phenomenal, absolutely heartwarming and uplifting nominations from residential and nursing care homes all around
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Shelly Roche
the UK, from all departments, and once again it was the most difficult of tasks in picking a winner. Our printed issue of THE CARER is out next week, so please do watch out for the winner. As you know the prize is a luxury two night break in a choice of 450 hotels (we originally said 300), plus two £50 Marks & Spencer’s gift vouchers for the runners-up, but since it was so difficult to pick a winner we have also added for £25 gift vouchers. All announced in next week’s printed issue so please watch out, and once again many thanks it makes us here at the CARER very proud indeed be associated with such a dedicated industry. And please keep your stories coming I can always be contacted at editor@thecareruk.com
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