Greens plans for privatised adult care

[brightonlass2009]

This has not yet entered the press. Hopefully it will do soon though. However as the daughter of a professional carer in the community I currently know all of the issues that are going around. Many will state it doesn't affect them, however it will affect all people who have an elderly relative who needs homecare.

Firstly there is a misconception that care in the home is all about going in and making somebodies lunch and doing their cleaning. However this is no longer the case. Carers are highly trained and qualified now, and have to deal with a range of people from those with bipolar to those with alzheimers. They have training in first aid, medication, handling and lifting and many more. Also they are starting to take away some of the jobs that district nurses are currently doing.

A few weeks ago the Green Party told my mums firm that she had to cut her tendering charges by 15%. From what I have heard she was also told if she didn't then she might as well not bother tendering for the contract. Which would in turn result in job losses.

Since then carers in the firm, my mother and also myself have been writing e-mails and letters to out local councillors, and to those councillors within the Green cabinet to try and get an answer as to what their plans are for privatised care.

This is how things have progressed (note these are just the important points that have been raised):-

- The first thing to point out is privatised care have not had a pay rise for 3 years, and now they are to be expected to take a paycut.

- Jason Kitcat stated over twitter that they are 'committed to providing a liveable wage for all carers.' Since then he has not responded to any tweets, e-mails or letters regarding this situation.


- Rob Jarrett has stated that this liveable wage will be £7.19 an hour. Over the minimum wage but in no way fair. They are not taking into consideration the fuel costs or the travelling time. Also there are very few hour long jobs within the care industry now. 49% of calls within my mums firm are 30 minutes, and a large number are 15 minutes. So to counter this the Greens have stated they will get £3.60 for 30 minutes, and around £1.50 - £1.80 for 15 minutes.

- Carers will not receive enhances rates of pay for weekends and bank holidays.

- However they have been told they WILL be paid for Christmas and Bank holidays. From that there seems to be the implication they were considering cutting their wages for those days.

- Carers will no longer be paid for training courses. Therefore most will only attend the compulsory and not the non-compulsory. My mums firm has some of the most highly qualified carers in Brighton because she pays for them to attend the training courses as she believes that good staff need to have knowledge of their job.

- Rob Jarrett also states in his letter that 'in house carers have not had a pay rise.' This I have found out is also untrue. It is only a 50p rise, but it is still a rise! In house means carers within the council. The councils budget for their own care is £21.50 for everything. So this is for implementing the care etc. etc. They expect private care firms to do the same job, work the same hours for just £12 - £14.


Now this is the current situation. This is likely to lead to more carers who have the qualification leaving their position as the Green party want highly trained carers who are close to the qualifications of nurses work for a lot less money. This will probably result in people who are only doing it for the money coming in. This will result in poor care and the decline of adult care. The Rob Jarrett states 'I never underestimate the significant contribution that reliable, care worker make in terms of supporting people to remain in their own homes.' But by their own policy they apprently do.


Why have I finally submitted this on a public forum. Firstly people need to know what the Green's are planning as it will affect the care of their loved ones. Also with the rumours going around that the Greens want to give that bloke building the tower £14 million, it needs to be shown their priorities are in the completely wrong place.

If you want to slag me off for bringing your attention to this then go ahead. Go for it. Point is this IS a serious matter and it WILL affect the care industry within Brighton. As it will result in more people who don't care about the job coming in and the decline of care

 

[skipper734]

Sent this to my Sister to read Brighton Lass, as my Mum is a customer. Personally I have always been amazed that Careers are expected to provide their own travel expenses from their already meagre hourly rate.

 

[Fungus]

Going slightly off-topic, I used to work with Rob Jarrett many years ago, and didn't know that he is now a councillor.

This may be a long-shot, but let me know if you need a picture of him with long ginger hair and beard, and wearing a Comic Relief red-nose.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

- Jason Kitcat stated over twitter that they are 'committed to providing a liveable wage for all carers.' Since then he has not responded to any tweets, e-mails or letters regarding this situation.

This would appear to be a Green tactic to avoid difficult questions. While not nearly as important, I wrote to many a Green councillor about the rise in allotment fees being proposed. Not ONE responded but I had emails from both Tory and Labour councillors as well as phone calls. Only when I copied in Labour and Tory councillors on emails to Green councillors did they both to respond. So my tip to you is to make sure you get other parties involved because the Greens won't give a f*** until you do.

 

[pasty]

Completely agree with everything the OP states. Mrs P is also a carer, and to be honest, the conditions she expected to put up with are a complete and utter joke. She paid a pittance of an hourly rate, does not get paid at all for the time it takes to get from one call to the next and pays for her own petrol. All this for caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the community; she cares for a couple of alzheimers sufferers, the elderly, the infirm etc etc

The sadest thing of all is your last sentence.

As it will result in more people who don't care about the job coming in and the decline of care

After years of working in retail, Mrs P decided to go into caring afew years ago, in her words "to put something good back into the coummunity". Now, as a direct result of the conditions she expected to work under, she is so disillusioned she is now seriously looking for other work. The more poeple like her that do that, the more poeple that don't care truly about the job will carry on, to the detriment of the service.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Are the Greens spitting out their dummy because they didn't get the 3.5% council tax increase voted in ? If they get away with this what will be next ? Why are they throwing £14M in the direction of the i360 ?

 

[keaton]

Are the Greens spitting out their dummy because they didn't get the 3.5% council tax increase voted in ? If they get away with this what will be next ? Why are they throwing £14M in the direction of the i360 ?

Aren't they having to cut back services because the council tax increase was rejected?

 

[clippedgull]

Why are they throwing £14M in the direction of the i360 ?

If passed by the councillors it's going to be a commercial loan repayable with interest by the i360 developers.

 

[drew]

Isn't the money beeing offered for the tower a loan?

 

[keaton]

And whilst it's shitty for carers this sort of stuff is happening nationwide, all local government is cutting costs and services

 

[Kumquat]

And whilst it's shitty for carers this sort of stuff is happening nationwide, all local government is cutting costs and services

Unfortunately there is a huge risk in Government policy on this. They are devolving more power to local authorities while expecting them to cut costs. Some local authorities have been very good at this and have engaged with the private sector really well to create a new market in social care which allows for small personalised providers to compete with the often inefficient block contract providers that councils have traditionally dealt with. But many haven't, through either politics, incompetence or geographical circumstances that make it more difficult e.g. a lack of providers. In this case it seems that the Greens are playing politics, probably due partly to not being allowed the 3.5% rise, but maybe also because they simply believe social care should be centrally run. Either way, it goes completely counter to the Govt's decision, whetehr you agree with that decision, to allow individuals who need care to have their own budgets and a wide range of service providers to choose from to spend this budget.

 

[brightonlass2009]

I admit it's happening nationwide but if you notice my point near the end. This cut is only for private firms who are told they need to cut their tendering to around £12 or £14 an hour for all costs. Council run services still get £21 an hour.

Also more states. They want to cut the half hour rate to £3.60 an hour. Some girls walk to their clients. this means they will only be able to do one half hour and one 15 min call in one hour. This'll be a total of around £5.10 - £5.40 they will earn in the hour. Between 79p and 99p under the minimum wage.

 

[The Large One]

They've said that no council worker will be on less than £7.19.

Have they actually stated that that is the wage you'll be on, and is that an increase from before?

 

[brightonlass2009]

Yes but, very few calls are an hour. In the care industry, especially home care, they are done in hour, 45 mins, 30 mins and 15 min calls. They are then priced depending on the call. At current my mum is on over £5 for a half hour call. This will go down to £3.60 for half an hour. If you add up all the totals, yes it is 7.19 for an hour. But you cannot do two half hour calls + travelling time in an hour. Therefore it won't be £7.19.

My mum isn't a council worker though. She is part of a private care agency. And it will be a decrease in wage. Even though her hourly rates are only around the £6.85 mark her half hourly and 15 mins are much higher. Adding up all the totals she will be on a lot lower if they bring it in.

 

[pasty]

Yes but, very few calls are an hour. In the care industry, especially home care, they are done in hour, 45 mins, 30 mins and 15 min calls. They are then priced depending on the call. At current my mum is on over £5 for a half hour call. This will go down to £3.60 for half an hour. If you add up all the totals, yes it is 7.19 for an hour. But you cannot do two half hour calls + travelling time in an hour. Therefore it won't be £7.19.

This is the worst and most unfair thing about the whole system; the time in-between calls is not paid, only the actual time spent with clients. So as you say, it is almost impossible to get a paid the full hourly rate for the "actual amount of time spent at work".

 

[brightonlass2009]

They've said that no council worker will be on less than £7.19.

Have they actually stated that that is the wage you'll be on, and is that an increase from before?

I forgot to quote you in my last point. See the point below yours. Cheers

 

[brightonlass2009]

Are the Greens spitting out their dummy because they didn't get the 3.5% council tax increase voted in ? If they get away with this what will be next ? Why are they throwing £14M in the direction of the i360 ?

I don't know. But from what I have heard they will borrow the money, give it to the bloke then it will be paid back via a loan depending on how the attraction does. if it's a failure then the council will gain possession.