Form a queue…
In 2021/22, across England, approximately 5,420 people requested support from their Local Authorities…
In a world where the words millions and billions seem commonplace, that may not sound like a big number, but it is. To put that into context, you might be thinking that those 5,420 requests span 12 months; you might even think that’s every month. Sadly, this is the number of requests made to English Local Authorities every day of the year. In summary, 1.36 million people asked for help during that year.
And whilst we are talking numbers - here’s another one: 818,000. That’s the number of people who receive long term support as a result of their enquiry. That compares with 841,000 in the previous year, driven primarily by a fall in the number of older people receiving long terms care. Conversely there was a small increase from 219,000 to 224,000, in the provision of short term care
Our good friends at the King’s Fund have published this data which for many is just one more of too many reminders about the challenges facing us right now. And given that over 40% of those who ask for help are not helped, or left to work it out themselves, I’m left wondering which is longer - the length of the queue or the time it takes to find a solution.
So, where to start? I can’t help thinking that part of the solution may well benefit from something else, linked - although not intrinsically - to Care. In fact, the team at the Department of Health and Social Care would, I am sure, do well to take a walk over to Great Smith Street to meet their colleagues in the world of education. Now that's a conversation worth starting. If we are going to take this issue seriously, we must first look at how we reset the way we do things with a distinct nod to prevention. Yes, there is a strong argument about the lack of funding over the years relative to the (predictable) growth in demand, but I fear that alone won’t solve it. If we are to have any chance of resetting the dial which stems the tidal shift from the National Health Service to the National (Reactive) Service and reverse its ongoing disjunction with the world of social care, we need to look at how we can educate a generation in a way that empowers a social environment that, in effect, creates a more preventative approach to life.
And this is not about academic learning per se, or passing an exam, but moreover to engender an approach to how community life is led. Could it be that creating environments where the health and wellbeing of each person is wrapped around the values of community, what that means, and how helping others, will benefit whole sections of society?
It may go without saying that education can also play a large part in showing how working in health and social care - as a job - is a natural extension of how a society behaves. I sometimes think that social care needs a “rebrand” to counter perceptions, and to show what an amazing job it can be. Attracting great people into the sector is a critical success factor so getting this message out there with messaging that transcends the functionality, is nothing short of essential.
It is hard to think of words strong enough to articulate the Covid years, but when I think of the pain and suffering and the dedication that came to the fore, I also think of the random acts of kindness - the flowers, the chocolates, the cakes left at the front door of care homes, with just a note to say thanks. The stories of people who got to know their neighbour for the first time, as they simply checked in on them to make sure they were ok, delivered food, offered support or chatted when clapping out in the street. Now I know that this alone will not achieve the utopia we all strive for - and many people practise this already to great effect - but as a preventative measure on a societal level over a long, long, time, I can’t help thinking that it is a pretty good one to work on.
Source:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/social-care-360/access