There should be a Royal College of Care Givers to give recognition, certification, regular training and most importantly dignity to professional care givers.
There should be a regulated national agency (or agencies) to employ all care givers in both care home and domiciliary settings (where the Care Act 2014 applies). The French agency http://admr.org/ may be a good model, suitably adapted. How can it be right that agencies “buy” care givers for £12 to £15 an hour (often on zero hours contracts) and then they “sell” them on to care homes, councils and self-funders at upwards of £35 an hour? And that seemingly many of these agencies and care home conglomerates engage in the most egregious tax avoidance?
There should be national care funding agency akin to the British Business Bank (http://british-business-bank.co.uk/) to offer finance for the many health and care needs which are not covered by the NHS, notably dementia, incontinence and associated maladies. As things stand today, in order to fund decent care, self-funders often have to resort to equity release loans, often at high rates of interest. These financial products – recommended by the NHS no less – provide much needed financial solutions to elderly people in need of personal care, and there has been some regulation of the sector, but equally the space is still infested with sharks and charlatans.
So to sum up, professionalize paid for care givers, set up an agency or agencies to improve access to professional care services, and provide decent funding opportunities for those who have to pay (that’s everyone with savings >£23k).
The other thing which might commend official recognition of professional care givers could be thereby to exclude illegal immigrants who, presumably, wouldn’t be qualified.
Having witnessed the use of various NHS agencies, care givers and care homes in recent years I totally support this proposal. Being a carer is not an easy job (I wouldn’t want to do it). Often people that work in the care industry leave due to pay, progression and the trauma of the role (going into someone’s house to find them deceased).
There should be a minimum entry level requirement, including qualifications, pay and progression paths, as with any other job/industry. There should be a minimum level of pay and a maximum amount agencies can add. Ie as a contractor, I would agree a daily or hourly rate, my agency would then charge me a fixed fee for being on their books. While I appreciate this is not a model that may suite all jobs, the principle is the same. Its fixed.
I would also like to see some form of support for care givers at home in the form of training and support. Often people have life changing situations and family are just left to cope.
My wife has been a care giver for 20 years in various sectors, mental health, senior care ect. You are right on the button with agencies charging care recievers a premium and then paying the actual care staff a minimum. Yes there should be a body overlooking training and guidance. My wife has seen to many carers who do not actually care. Even care givers leaving premises to take prayers, when they shouldnt be leaving their posts. I personally see many care positions advertised on Indeed and Total jobs, so the demand is great but the support from government inadequate.
