Covid-19
older people in nursing and care homes. A real positive now is that care services for people with learning disabilities and those in supported living are now firmly on the agenda. This is a great stride forward, but we need to ensure that people continue to be aware of the broad spectrum that social care encompasses.
Financial support
Other areas where there have been positives include finances. At the SCA, we have been able to secure financial support to add to our activities, including involvement in the CCG newsletter and reaching out to non-members. Another positive was the injection of money from government to support infection control, which was very welcome. Despite challenges surrounding the protocols on how care homes can spend the money, the distribution was efficient and our local authority showed that they could work flexibly and effectively. Again, that is a positive from the crisis that we can take forward and look to build upon. A phrase that we saw emerging during the pandemic from several quarters was the term ‘mutual aid’, which given the fact that everyone felt at risk - especially around staffing - was perhaps an unrealistic expectation. What we did see, however, was some very generous helping of others in the depths of the PPE supply challenges during the first wave.
Setting out the future of care We hope going forward this spirit of collaboration will not just continue but
actively flourish. Although there are still some very challenging months ahead I am feeling optimistic – especially so with a vaccine in play, although my optimism is not merely based on that. Our sector has been put under the spotlight, with much of what has been revealed to people emerging in a positive light. With more people supporting our endeavours than ever before, we just need to ensure that we capitalise on it and secure long-term successes for our sector.
It was with this sentiment in mind that the SCA board has worked together to create a 60-page manifesto titled Reinventing Social Care. It outlines in detail what we think needs to be done to reform and overhaul the social care sector to secure its long-term future. Given all that is gone on since the outbreak of the pandemic, there is no better time to seize the day and campaign for real and long-lasting change. The issues that we are looking to resolve are not limited to the coronavirus crisis – many are longstanding and deeply embedded, requiring a huge effort if we are to shift attitudes and garner high level support. Our vision is broken down into five central pillars, focusing on the following elements where we feel change is most needed. 1 A fresh start with a new name, and a new ethos.
2 A valued workforce. 3 New processes, led by people who access services.
4 Fair and transparent funding arrangements to secure a bright long-term future.
5 Reformed roles and structures.
Our manifesto, which you can find online via the SCA website, looks in detail at each point, breaking it down
comprehensively and outlining where we think we need to go and what needs to be done to help create an efficient sector, that is built on quality processes, proper funding and valued staff.
The proposals were initially launched to a wider audience at a roundtable event in November in a session chaired by Care
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England chief executive Professor Martin Green and attended by health select committee chairman Jeremy Hunt and Healthwatch England chairman Sir Robert Francis CQ.
Feedback from both was extremely positive with Hunt branding the proposals as “excellent”, while Sir Robert regarded them as “very encouraging” before imparting advice on how to gain sufficient attention from the powers that be. Our task now, over the months ahead and throughout 2021 is to do just that – grab attention and push these forward to create an improved sector for all. TCHE
While it was the negative effects of the Covid epidemic in care homes that put our sector in the spotlight, the huge positive to take from it has opened us up to the wider world
Erica Lockhart
Erica Lockhart is chief executive of the Surrey Care Association, one of the UK’s largest sector associations, representing more than 400 providers. Erica was integral in its formation, having started as chief executive at the outset in 2005, with an objective to set out and establish an organisation that would help and support local care providers, be that care homes, supported living or home care agencies. Following years of work in the social care sector, Erica has built up both a wealth of industry knowledge and a diverse web of vital contacts who all help her to drive forward the SCA’s endeavours.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • January 2021
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