reade rs ppy Chri stm as r a u o H t o a ll and a
d v e r ti s e r s
Issue 38 16.12.20
The weekly online newsletter for the care sector
Scheme aims to recognise carers’ value A CAMPAIGN has been launched to ensure qualified staff who work in care homes and domiciliary care in Wales are paid a minimum of £20,000 a year. Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, said they had been condemned to low pay for years because of the “morally bankrupt” formulas used by local authorities and health boards to calculate the fees for social care. According to Mario, the heroic response of care workers in saving lives during the coronavirus pandemic had highlighted their true value and it was high time it was recognised by the authorities who commissioned publicly funded social care. It was, he said, a “national disgrace” that the 2020 Fair Pay campaign was necessary but he hoped it would shame the councils and the health boards into taking action to finally ensure that qualified care workers could be paid properly after a quarter of a century of a mismanaged market which has seen social care being treated as a “Cinderella service”. “Social care staff have risen magnificently to the immense challenges posed by the Covid19 pandemic and the public understand better than ever that these people do have important skills and are vital
to their communities across Wales,” Mario added. “They are an army of heroes and should be viewed as a value rather than a cost to society. “It is high time that when local authorities and health board commission publicly funded social care services that the formulas they use finally recognise their true value and enable providers to pay frontline staff a minimum of £20,000 a year from April 1. “Existing formulas that use the basic living wage as their benchmark are unacceptable, particularly given what the sector has achieved this year and the support the sector has from the public. “We know from the first wave of the pandemic that the NHS does not have enough staff to run the rainbow hospitals in Wales so the only place that they can go and get people with those sorts of skills is the care sector and the care sector is critically endangered.” The Welsh Government had shown the way earlier this year when they announced a oneoff £500 bonus payment for social care staff. One of Mario’s fears is that the NHS will effectively poach social care staff to cope with the extra demands caused by the second surge of the virus which was already underway.
Group raises funds with scarecrow
Bruce Moore, chief executive of Housing 21, has won Leader of the Year (250+ people) at the Investors in People Awards. The Investors in People Awards celebrate the best in people management practice amongst Investors in People accredited businesses. Bruce, who leads an organisation rated Gold by Investors in People, was selected as the winner of the category by a panel of judges, which included the CEO of Investors in People and the director of People at Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Bruce joined Housing 21 as chief executive in 2013. He has spent more than 20 years leading change and seeking to improve the provision of housing and social care for older people.
A BIG THANK YOU
FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING TO KEEP OUR MOST VULNERABLE SAFE AND HAPPY …
WE’RE IN AWE OF YOUR SELFLESS HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.
Caring UK is part of the Script Media companies
BLUEBIRD Care St Helens and Bluebird Care Warrington took part in the St Helens community scarecrow festival to help raise vital donations for Willowbrook Hospice. Willowbrook is a local hospice that cares for people with life limiting or terminal illnesses. It is a charity that helps both patients and their family members during the most difficult of circumstances. Bluebird Care St Helens and Bluebird Care Warrington’s deputy manager, Clare Toole, and her daughters Lacie and Lyla, made Meredith the scarecrow, especially for the festival. They have so far raised more than £100 and Bluebird Care will be matching all donations pound for pound. Clare said: “The hospice is very close to all our hearts, not only because their nurses support our palliative (end-of-life) customers, but also because some of our team members also have personal experiences working with the hospice. “The work they do is exceptional, and it is a huge part of the community. The team want to raise as much as they can to ensure the hospice continues to run during this epidemic, so they can help many, many more families.” Willowbrook does not charge for its services but rely on fundraising efforts and a modest contribution from the NHS. This enables them to provide support to patients and their families according to their individual needs.
CALLING ALL SUPPLIERS …
Your online presence has never been more important so that you can keep in touch with your clients! Do you need a website – and quick – to sell your services and products online? We can help with a five-page website, with or without payment facilities AT NO UPFRONT COST! And it will be ready within ONE WEEK of us receiving the necessary information. That’s the design and development of your own website within seven days! Includes domain name (.com or .co.uk), hosting in the UK and email forwarding We can also help with SEO, PPC, flyers or promotional material and affordable advertising in print and online! Contact us today: sally@scriptmedia.co.uk or 07939 324 781