100,000 vacancies in our care system

I've found Filippino nurses and carers to be very well trained and actually just plain kind! I'm a big fan.

While I'm not keen on talking about different cultural approaches, there are cultures where caring and nursing and respecting the elderly are much more valued than they are in our own.Where whites tend to judge the value of a job by the pay, & write-off care as a career (it's a lot more skilful than for eg delivery work) I think phillipinos get a lot of self-respect out of doing a really important job well & making a difference, & that's something it wouldn't hurt us to emulate.
Of course the wages should go up, but wow that's difficult given the shortage of care spaces & funding issues bedevilling the system right now.

Burnham has talked about the very poor pay in the care system, so it is something the government recognises.

I agree Aveline, they have been a huge asset to the NHS.

There does need to be an overhaul of the care system to make it more attractive. I don’t personally think we should be looking primarily to school leavers or under 25s though, as life experience usually makes people the best carers. Middle aged people are often ideal, but it needs to fit in with their other commitments, and pay well enough to be a worthwhile occupation compared with the alternatives.

The CQC - Care Quality Commission - needs to be shaken up if not replaced with a more robust organisation that doesn't - rather like Ofsted - hand out one word ratings, and also has extended powers to deal with failing care homes more rigorously.

OP- Yes, Yes and Yes Cossy.

Margs 11.35- also Yes!

The profits made by owners, investors and financial companies are huge and are made at the expense of the workers who are poorly paid for the jobs they do.

The whole of the care system needs better, far more robust, regulation.

I agree about the Filipino nurses.

About a third of care home are owned by big companies like Barchester and BUPA. In total 84% are privately owned. We are paying far more than we should for care, getting poor quality care for our family members and care workers are underpaid, IMO this is about regulation and needs government intervention not a free market.

Average UK Care Home Costs (2026)

• Residential Care: £1,298 per week (approx. £5,192 per month or £67,496 per year)
• Nursing Care: £1,535 per week (approx. £6,140 per month or £79,820 per year)
• Residential Dementia Care: £1,343 per week (approx. £69,836 per year)
• Nursing Dementia Care: £1,564 to £1,585 per week (approx. £81,328 to £82,420 per year)

Casdon

I agree Aveline, they have been a huge asset to the NHS.

There does need to be an overhaul of the care system to make it more attractive. I don’t personally think we should be looking primarily to school leavers or under 25s though, as life experience usually makes people the best carers. Middle aged people are often ideal, but it needs to fit in with their other commitments, and pay well enough to be a worthwhile occupation compared with the alternatives.

I have worked in care with many carers under 25 who were absolutely exemplary in their attitude and work ethic. In the right environment, with ongoing training and guidance young people can flourish in the care industry.

It's the person that counts, not their age.

I agree foxie48, but I think it’s about more than just regulation, because even where care is provided through Local Authorities, which are highly regulated and better paid, recruitment to care roles is a major challenge.

Care is seen as a route into support worker roles in the NHS, where the terms and conditions are better, it’s a large workforce and it’s more likely the workers can find hours that suit them, and where they aren’t taking sole responsibility. I don’t think we should underestimate how alone care workers in the community feel, either, it really isn’t an easy job, and that level of responsibility put people off.

Privately owned care homes is a big challenge that any plans for a National Social Care service will need to address, reform and change.

This was discussed on an earlier thread. It can be addressed, but will need head on, strong, determined policy driven approach by AB to achieve reform. He will need to set policies to prioritise public funding provision non profit or cooperative, charity or LA care homes. This would restrict and reduce for profit care providers to running their services solely for patients.clients who choose not to access National Care Service funding placements.

Recruitment is an issue now and will be for any Social Care Reform/National Service. Full workforce strategy required that incorporates all necessary aspects, recruitment and retention, training and fair pay structures.

Many ducks to get in a row.....

I agree that in some cases young people will make far better carers than older people, because although life experience is definitely a bonus, it’s the personality, character and attitude that’s far more important, combined with good training and great support from both colleagues and management. It’s not called “caring” for nothing, first and foremost, you have to care.

For almost 6 months, in my early twenties, I worked for a council run care home.

I can tell you it was appalling, the “matron” had a flat within the premises, we rarely saw her, the training was virtually non-existent, the staff were run off their feet and processes were short cut and there were still dormitories. Awful, awful place! I made my mind up then that neither of my own parents would ever ever be placed in a home like this!

Many many years later we made the heartbreaking decision to place my MiL into residential care, it broke my DH heart, but we simply had no choice, she was already schizophrenic, had three “falls” which turned out to be TIA’s and developed vascular dementia. DH took early retirement at 60 (at the expense of his occupational pension) to continue her care in her part-sheltered (non sheltered by the time the council had cut and cut funding!) however at 64 he had a massive heart attack, mid lockdown and left me to care for her, both my parents and work full time, we simply had no choice, particularly when she started to wander overnight.

However, fortunately my Aunt was in residential care at this point, with Dementia with Lewy bodies, and her daughter reluctantly placed her into residential care, as she too worked full time and her mother had begun to “night wander”, and she recommended her care home management and we managed to locate on with a short bus ride from our home (DH never driven).

That inept was horrendous, it was mid lockdown, so we had to “deliver” her and her few belongings to the door of the home, having had two garden meets with the manager and only seen photos and videos of said home.

I look back now and wonder how I actually remained sane lol!

OldFrill

Casdon

I agree Aveline, they have been a huge asset to the NHS.

There does need to be an overhaul of the care system to make it more attractive. I don’t personally think we should be looking primarily to school leavers or under 25s though, as life experience usually makes people the best carers. Middle aged people are often ideal, but it needs to fit in with their other commitments, and pay well enough to be a worthwhile occupation compared with the alternatives.

I have worked in care with many carers under 25 who were absolutely exemplary in their attitude and work ethic. In the right environment, with ongoing training and guidance young people can flourish in the care industry.

It's the person that counts, not their age.

I don’t dispute that some young people make excellent carers, I just think that it would be wrong to look to them as the primary source of recruitment.

We do not have any fully run/funded local authority homes in our area. They all seemed to be privately owned.

The LA can “place” LA funded residents ;like my MiL) into some homes, but many have fees well above the amount the LA can contribute.

The facilities offered in the homes, out of scope for LA residents, is second to none, but what a price to pay! One could easily check into a first class hotel and pay less!

I know of a couple of elderly people that quite literally spend their entire lives on various cruises, spending any time between staying with friends and relatives. Of course, they have relatively good health and a deep purse, but I must admit, I’d quite fancy that!

I believe Thatcher lived out her last couple of years in The Ritz (I believe it was there, but it could have been one of the other hotels in London. I fancy that too haha!

^It’s time two things happened, care home staff should be better paid, people should understand very well, with these “immigrants” our care system would collapse.
^

I will say it everytime I see it.
It is not the immigrants that are needed, that people object to.

Pay, oh yes, they need better.
AB may may well recognise the problem. Will he do anything about it, is the issue.

I believe Thatcher lived out her last couple of years in The Ritz (I believe it was there, but it could have been one of the other hotels in London. I fancy that too haha!

I visit someone in a fancy care home from time to time.
In reality, it is still much the same as elsewhere. Surprisingly so.

If he doesn't put all the necessary ducks in a row a new National Social Care Service won't get off the ground or succeed.

AB was heavily involved in reform suggestions when last in office some years ago- familiar with the Dillon report - so knows what building blocks are needed.

It's complex and enormously difficult to achieve - which is why no other PM or government has ever achieved what AB proposes to achieve or even got as far as declaring a clear intention.

I give him credit at least for his ambition, declaration and bravery. If he achieves what he hopes to achieve it will be a huge positive legacy in league with the great Aneurin Bevan.

It's so sad Care was farmed out away from local authorites.

There were ( largely) women with kindness and common sense who had been doing the job for years.

Barchester is a huge money making machine, not at all impressed.

re Immigrants a very very elderly family member was sadly rather racist.
He has changed his mind. His carers are professional, kind and cheery.

Our entire society needs to make an enormous shift in what it values and who we are willing to reward with high pay , respect, admiration, status.

We are directing our spending power and admiration in the wrong direction ; to brief fashions, trivial entertainments, "influencers" , "celebrities", paid enormous amount for doing nothing of importance.

That admiration, value and high reward should be redirected to the work of carers, the people who look after the old, frail and sick; the child minders and nurses. Together, collectively, those carers represent all our futures and we should value, reward and invest in them accordingly.

How extraordinary, that such work is among the lowest paid, and least regarded of careers. One of the few that can't be replaced and done better by a machine, or AI.

His carers are professional, kind and cheery

Yes. We need to be thankful and grateful for the work they do, and the way in which they do it.

butterandjam

Good post.

fancythat

^It’s time two things happened, care home staff should be better paid, people should understand very well, with these “immigrants” our care system would collapse.
^

I will say it everytime I see it.
It is not the immigrants that are needed, that people object to.

Pay, oh yes, they need better.
AB may may well recognise the problem. Will he do anything about it, is the issue.

Let’s hope so!