Care in Crisis – Every cut in care makes the NHS bleed
Unfortunately this meeting has had to be rescheduled – new details will be available shortly
A public meeting organised by Another Edinburgh is Possible. We’ll hear from Nick Kempe (former head of services for older people on Glasgow City Council – see a link to a recent article by Nick below) on the roots of the problems with social care in Scotland, there will also be contributions from care workers and care users. There will be lots of time for contributions and discussion from all those attending the meeting.
You can register to attend online at https://tinyurl.com/carecrisis040223 and on registering you’ll be sent a joining link.
It may also be possible to join in groups at venues around the city. So far this looks likely to be possible in Wester Hailes, North Edinburgh and Craigmillar. If you can offer an additional venue please email edinburghjustrecovery@gmail.com. We’ll add details of face to face venues here as the information comes in.
The Wester Hailes venue is confirmed as the Community Wellbeing Space, Westside Plaza Shopping Centre, Wester Hailes Rd, Edinburgh EH14 2SW
Please share the Facebook event and invite your friends, family and workmates https://www.facebook.com/events/1109728896352456/
This flyer is available to download – please email if you are able to distribute multiple copies.
Unethical procurement – the Scottish Government’s decision to fund 300 more care home places
Nick Kempe has written an article in Commonweal on the Scottish Governments decision to spend £8million on using private care homes to provide temporary accommodation for people who should in their own home with a care package. Here’s a quote
To give an idea of the number of people who may be affected, £8m will pay for c7,700 weeks of care. This means that if the average interim care home placement lasts 4 weeks, 1,925 additional older people may be moved from hospital to care homes. With the staffing crisis in care homes apparently even more severe than in the NHS or community services, a fact acknowledge by Scottish Care the organisation representing the interests of private care home providers, this makes no sense. At best this measure appears to be a very expensive form of warehousing and at worst will lead to yet more unnecessary deaths.
Ethical commissioning needs to start with staff pay, expenses and training, not providers, and should be based on care provision, like health, being not for profit. Only then will the current crisis which is overwhelming both the NHS and the remnants of our care system be addressed. The Scottish Government’s announcement raises serious concerns about their commitment to develop ethical commissioning through the National Care Service bill. It also reveals a woeful lack of understanding of people’s health and care needs and a capacity to re-think longstanding problems.
Commonweal 18 January 2023
Another Edinburgh is Possible 