Scarborough care provider says carers must ‘stand together and fight for social care’

It comes as the new year looms and providers prepare to begin the new year with abundant staff vacancies.

Mike Padgham, of Independent Care Group (ICG) says social care providers must unite and demand a meeting with the Prime Minister to tackle the funding crisis and address care workers’ pay.

He says care providers are preparing to begin 2023 with 1.6m people unable to get care, 165,000 staff vacancies and a 59% jump in provider failures.

Mr Padgham, chair of ICG and managing director of St. Cecilia’s Care Home, said: “We will start the new year in a desperate situation and it cannot go on any longer.

“This has to be the year when all differences are set aside and everyone, including government, commissioners and care providers, get together to find a solution to the crisis in social care.

“We are now in a winter where the number of people who can’t get care is more than 1.6m, where 13,000 NHS beds are occupied by people who cannot go home because of a lack of social care packages and ambulances are queuing outside, where there are 165,000 staff vacancies and where residential care home insolvencies are up by 59%.”

MR Padgham says that social care staff deserve better pay, as there is a pay discrepancy between them and their NHS counterparts.

"Some staff are reportedly turning to food banks to help make ends meet.

“Confrontation and retreating to our own protected silos has not worked – it merely allows the government to divide and conquer. As a sector we must speak with a unified voice and must sit down with our commissioners, with local authorities, the NHS and the government and thrash out sensible, practical and sustainable solutions.

“Between us we have to find a way to make social care work again, to get more money to the sector and better pay and recognition to our front-line staff, giving them parity with their NHS counterparts and tackling the crippling staff shortages.

"Then we can free up hospital beds and get people the care they need.”