On the frontline of social care as PM promises reform

BBC presenter Amelia Reynolds has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a black hoodie over a white top. She is sitting on a bench in the street alongside a man with beard and glasses, wearing a grey hoodie, and a woman with tied-back hair, wearing a black tracksuit top. All are looking at the camera and smiling. Behind them is a bus shelter, a road and some terraced housing.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to offer access to free social care services to everyone in England and to put his plans to voters at the next general election.

He told the BBC that it would be a system in which "everyone contributes, everyone is covered" and did not rule out tax rises, acknowledging it may be "difficult or unpopular" with some.

BBC Politics East has been looking at the four key areas of care provided now, spending time with care workers and managers to find out about their experiences and what they would like from a new expanded system.

'You want to make it count'

A woman is standing outside and looking directly at the camera, smiling. She is wearing a blue uniform with a lanyard around her neck and has braided hair. Behind her, out of focus, is a road, trees, houses and cars.

Tsitsis Tabvuma, who is from Zimbabwe, is a senior care worker with Caremark in Cambridgeshire.

She saw three people, mainly older people with health needs, from 09:00 to 12:00, on the day we went out with her.

"When you go into a home you are the only person they see that day or that week, so you want to make it count," she said.

"If you go in and do it all in a rush it is no good. If you have to do things in a rush you cannot do what needs to be done.

"You can go into a person's home and leave them with a clean home but an empty heart because you haven't had time to have a good conversation with them."

A woman with white hair sits in a chair by a dining room table. She is wearing a purple cardigan over a light blue blouse. She is looking up at her carer, who is wearing a blue uniform and gloves and a white plastic apron. Both are smiling broadly.

Robert Johnstone, managing director of Caremark (Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire), said if visa schemes do not allow people like Tabvuma, it will cause a major problem for the care sector.

He said recruiting her was "expensive but it's worth it because you get quality carers that are going to be around for three to five years".

Without these schemes, Johnstone said he could see many older people missing out on the care they needed.

'You realise how lovely our residents are'

Jasmine Sehgal is wearing a purple polo shirt and looking directly at the camera. She has a lanyard around her neck, long dark hair and is smiling.

The BBC spent the night with staff at the ArmsCare home for older residents in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

Some residents wake up in the middle of the night, while others do not want to go to bed or cannot sleep.

Home manager Jasmine Sehgal said: "I heard a resident screaming. I went to the room and found him on the floor.

"We have crash mats in place especially for residents with a high risk of falling out of bed, so the bed is lower and there is a crash mat in place. He's absolutely fine."

Later, when it was a bit quieter, Sehgal said: "There are times when you want to throw in the towel and ask 'Why am I in this sector?' but then you spend a little time here and you realise how lovely our residents are.

"You realise how much they need you and that just changes your whole perspective."

A large three-storey building, which looks like a house, is viewed from an elevated position. It is night-time. Lights are on in the building and a number of cars are parked outside.

'You realise it is more than just a job'

A man looks directly at the camera. He is wearing a blue zip-up top which is unzipped at the neck. He has short dark hair and beard and a neutral expression. To his side are some wall-mounted cupboards at head height.

The charity HFT runs a home for 11 adults with complex needs, including disabilities and autism, in Shefford, Bedfordshire.

Support worker Prince Masvaure has been working with Ali, who is blind and cannot talk or walk.

"As time goes on, you realise it is more than just a job," said Masvaure.

"For me, working in care, I see it as more like a calling. I'm here with Ali and it's more like he is my brother.

"I need to be there for him. I need to lift him up. I need to give him a hand. I need to support him all the way."

A support worker, wearing a blue zip-up top and white trousers, stands in a kitchen, smiling broadly at another man, who is sitting down. The seated man is wearing a white chef's cap, a blue and white striped apron, and a grey sweatshirt. He is looking at a glass mixing bowl. Eggs and milk are on the worktop behind him.

'We try to make the job as enjoyable as possible'

A woman with blonde shoulder-length hair and red lipstick smiles at the camera. She is wearing a checked jacket over a dark black or blue top.

Claire Davies-Sond, service manager with HFT, said it was difficult finding staff for the home.

"The pay is not great in social care. For us, we pay above the minimum wage and we try to make the job as enjoyable as possible but we still struggle [to find employees]."

Steve Veevers, HFT chief executive, said: "As someone who has worked in care for 40 years, the multitude of demand on our support workers, I think, is on parity to some areas of the NHS, such as a paramedic."

A group of me and women sit on the floor and on sofas in a living room, interacting with a woman standing at the front, wearing a black cardigan and grey dress.

'It is hard when you've got funding restraints'

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair and glasses looks off-camera. She is wearing a black top. Behind her, out of focus, is a wall and what appears to be dried flowers.

Fay Bartholomew, transition co-ordinator at the Milton Keynes offices of national charity MacIntyre, works with young people as they transition to adult care services.

"The work that I do with them in their final year is to let them look and see what is out there," she said.

"Their voices and choices matter, but it is hard when you've got funding restraints in all areas of care.

"There are limitations. Everyone is using the same pot of money and a lot of the time it can be down to the resources that are there.

"I'm also so proud of them. I don't like to let them go. We still like to check in."

Her message to the prime minister is that it would be great to see care work seen as "more as a profession" as those in the industry "strive for the very best for the individual".

'We're still ambitious'

A man with short dark hair looks off-camera. He is wearing a white button-down shirt with small polka dots. Behind him is a red and white wall and some red flowers.

Bruce Smith, head of No Limits for MacIntyre, said: "I think what motivates me and all our frontline staff is to really unlock the skills and passions that the young people we work with have and to see them flourish."

He said despite budget pressures, "what's important for us is we're still ambitious. We find ways to shout about the talent these young people have."

What is the government's view?

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "This government is committed to fixing adult social care and creating a National Care Service.

"Social care workers are skilled professionals who will form the backbone of the new National Care Service, so we are developing a workforce plan to support recruitment, retention and career development.

"We are also establishing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care workers and making over £4.6bn additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29."

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Get in touch

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 1 November at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Original source On the frontline of social care as PM promises reform

Back to home