The government have stated that they intend to burn around 4 billion dollars’ worth of PPE so that they can generate power. This is a move that has been largely criticised by the spending watchdog as being shameful and this shows that the haphazard buying strategy did not work at all. Unusable PPE is going to be burnt and this is because the DHSC has lost around 75% of the £12 billion that they have spent by simply paying inflated prices and receiving PPE that did not meet all of the right safety requirements. The DHSC has written £8.7 billion off the face value, for the £12 billion that they spent on PPE. This was during the first year of the pandemic. There is also going to be around £4 billion that is not going to be used by the NHS. It is now in storage. The report has been published and they have found that there is no clear disposal strategy for this. They intend to generate power from the PPE that they are burning but at the end of the day, it would be surprising to see if this is the case. The PAC has warned that the cost and the environmental impact that stems from disposing of excess PPE is not good and that this just goes to show how poor the pandemic response was in general. The PAC report has asked the DHSC to state how they are going to dispose of this much PPE and how they are going to curb the environmental impact of this. Not many people are happy with the decision. The PPE would have gone from those who work in homecare to private nursing. It would have also helped social workers and those who offer bespoke care packages. It would have even gone to those who work in mental health, had it met the right regulations.
It would seem that those who work in homecare or even in private nursing are now leaving their jobs, in hope that they can find better-paid jobs elsewhere. If you offer bespoke care packages or if you work with a team of social workers who offer mental health services, then you will know how difficult it can be to make sure that every single person is getting the care that they need. Unfortunately, 50% of those who work in homecare are now trying to find alternative positions because they have lost pay while isolating with Covid-19. On top of this, they are also requesting an increase in mileage due to the soaring petrol costs.
New research has been done and this indicates that around 96% of those who work in homecare are not receiving any pay, or very low pay, when they are having to isolate with Covid. This follows the removal of the ICTF which happened at the end of March. It has also been found that one fifth of care workers have resigned for this reason alone. Half of the people who responded in the survey have also said that they have had to increase the money they spend in mileage and that 20% of workers have intended to look for work elsewhere, or already done so, purely because they are unable to fuel their cars as they should be able to. Dr. Jane Townson who works for the Homecare Association has released a statement, saying that people should not be surprised by this information and that things will continue this way until the problem is solved.
Who knows what the future holds, but right now, it would seem that more needs to be done to help those who truly need it the most.
A brand-new public campaign has been launched to try and tackle the everyday impact that ageism is having on the community. They are also trying to combat some of the harmful stereotypes that affect everyone who is of an older generation. They want to try and boost confidence when it comes to housing and pay, and they also want to try and make sure that they work with age-friendly communities as well. The campaign is being led by the Centre for Ageing Better and it is a true key element of the age-friendly movement. They want to try and make sure that ageism is a high priority for everyone that is part of society. Carole Easton who knows how much those who work in homecare struggle to provide support with ageism knows how important this movement is. She knows that those who work in private nursing, and those who offer bespoke care packages often try and support the mental health of those who they work with.
That being said, ageism is a widespread issue and a lot of the time it can be seen in marketing campaigns as well as in the media. That is why the organisation are determined to try and go that one step further. They want to make sure that nobody has to put up with the stigma that comes with agism, and they also want to make sure that people are much more thoughtful when it comes to their approach to the older generation. If this can be done then benefits will be seen and it will also help others to know that with this kind of problem, comes a lot of hardship for the elderly community.
The team are working incredibly hard to make sure that the right support is given.
It would seem that the UK homecare sector is now spending upwards of £75m just to get to work. If you work in private nursing then you will know how devastating it can be to have to pay out a huge chunk of your wage just so you can get to work and complete your day-to-day tasks. Unfortunately, for a lot of social workers, it would seem that this is in fact a reality. Those who offer bespoke care packages are now having to accommodate for the rising cost of fuel and this is having a huge impact on mental health. When you look at the homecare sector’s collective spending you will soon see that it has gone up from £224 million every year to £299 million in the month of May. Since March last year, fuel has risen a lot, and this is not good for those who are often forced to travel just so that they can do their jobs.
When you look at the Homecare Association, who work to actively represent those who work in homecare, you will soon see that they are now doing their bit to try and urge the government to try and payout for a temporary fuel allowance. They are doing this to try and cover some of the rising cost of fuel and they are also doing it so that they can deliver a good level of homecare to those who need it. Jane Townson who is the executive for the Homecare Association has reiterated that their call for the government to provide some degree of temporary grant funding is to try and cover the increased cost of fuel. They are also giving a lot of funding as fuel allowance to cover the cost of fuel for vehicles that are primarily used for delivering home care.
