Scotland’s home care sector ‘on the precipice’, report warns

The Scottish Government is being urged to set up a new Care for the Carer Fund to help prevent “stressed'' and “fatigued'' social care staff from quitting their jobs.

The move is one of a package of measures put forward by the industry body Scottish Care, as it warned the country's care at home sector is facing a “precipice''.

As well as a dedicated funding aimed at protecting the “mental health and well-being of frontline social care staff'', the organisation is calling for a Pay Commission to be sets up to determine what is an “adequate rate of pay'' for workers.

Scottish Care also wants an independent, cross-party commission to be established to examine how social care in Scotland will be funded in the future.

The organisation made the recommendations in a new report highlighting the 12 main issues facing the industry.

Scottish Care chief executive Donald Macaskill will launch the “12 Minutes to Midnight'' paper at its conference in Glasgow.

That hit out at the “obscenity'' of 15 minute care visits to elderly and vulnerable Scots, saying the industry is waiting for politicians to “follow through'' on a pledge to end these.

On the issue of carers' wages, it said the sector continues to “fail 'the Aldi test''', adding: “You get paid more for stacking shelves than for healing lives in today's Scotland.''

With nine out of 10 independent social care providers struggling to recruit staff, it warned there is a “massive recruitment crisis'' in the industry.

“People are simply not walking through the door despite the increase in the Scottish Living Wage,'' the report said.

And while the Scottish Government is working to bring together health and social care, Scottish Care said “integration is not really working''.

Calling for a new fund to be set up to help care staff, the report said: “We know our workers are stressed, fatigued and facing burnout.

“We know the second dominant reason we lose a third of the workforce every year is that the stress and distress of doing the job of care is as exhausting as it is rewarding and fulfilling.

“So where do tired carers go? Most leave.

“Let us put equality at the heart of health and care and create a distinct fund to nourish and nurture the social care workforce, similar to those that exist for NHS staff.

“We are calling on the Scottish Government to establish a Care for the Carer Fund dedicated to ensuring the mental health and well-being of frontline social care staff.''

Mr Macaskill said: “Scottish Care has been warning for the last year that the precarious nature of home care in the current climate is leading us closer to a precipice of home care collapse in Scotland.

“The result of not investing in this type of care is that we see providers who genuinely want to deliver high quality care in local communities but who are finding the challenges to be almost unbearable.''

“If meaningful action isn't taken urgently to ensure we still have a social care system able to care for our vulnerable older citizens, the consequences are enormous - for health and social care, for the economy, for jobs and most importantly, for the tens of thousands of individuals and families who rely on support in their own homes.

“That is why we are launching 12 Minutes to Midnight - to make clear what the very real challenges are and to offer our thoughts on the changes that are necessary to creating sustainable home care into the future.'