It is not just that creating access to social care to offset the bed crisis in NHS hospitals, but the whole of social care, for children and adults, including care homes, home care, respite, Supported living, hospices and more.

Pay is a major problem, especially with regards to care workers for the current around £10.42 is way insufficient and a starting salary of around £14/15 would be more realistic and not a one-off, but substantial increments for all years to come. But as is said it is not just care workers, but in many respects social workers also and supporting staff.

In all areas, the pay is way insufficient and this is causing a major lack of people wishing to apply for the vacancies and more so, many leaving to gain better prospects elsewhere, either within the UK or not. Social care’s loss is every other areas and country’s gain. It is not the government that suffers for while it is the staff, it is also persons in need of social care and their families.

If it was not for family caers the situation would be far much worse, as in 2021 family carers saved the UK more than £193 billion, while at the same time ignoring their own health needs. This over time means not only will the persons in need of social care need more social and NHS care but also their family members currently caring for them.

But do the government care, apparently not, either by ignorance and even worse by design, the government will not suffer and neither will the Ministers for with their wealth they would be able to afford private care. But where do the private care obtain their staff from, well from the social care sector, so even more way for staff losses in general social care.

I don’t just blame all the Tory governments since 2010 although they have inflicted great damage during that time, but before 2010 all was not great for social care has never been sufficiently funded.

I will go even further in that a great mistake was made in 1948 when the NHS was created, for social care should have been included, but then, while the NHS has been receiving funding again not insufficient quantities and here too as we have and are seeing with the recent and current strikes that all in not well in the NHS.

But pay, while an important aspect, there are others and this includes the working environments and terms and conditions of employment., mainly in social care but also to some extent in the NHS. In many instances Bank Holidays are not being recognised in social care with regards to care workers and for them it is treated as just another working day. Christmas and New year may be different, but for many it will not be. As in the NHS, but not many other employments social care is required 365/6 days a year, other than holidays and some sickness everyday is similar to the others.

Care is required for many 24/7 and it doesn’t stop for holidays, Bank or otherwise.

Yes, we are obtaining some persons from out of the UK, but not in sufficient numbers and there are many restrictions and associated costs.

Staff coming in are required to be sponsored which is far from cheap and the required visas are time limited when the insufficiencies of staff are not.

This government hasn’t got a clue and I really doubt that any incoming government will have.

So the future outlook for social care is far from good in many instances.