Care Show’s Session Spotlight

Each month’s bulletin features a session highlight from Care Show London 2024, with a summary and audio recording for all readers to access.  

This month’s session highlight will shine a spotlight on a panel session of esteemed speakers in the Keynote Theatre from Day 1 of the event. 

‘Moving forward: the centrality of social care in future policy making’

Speakers:

Gavin Edwards, Social Care Lead, UNISON

Gill Morris, Executive Director, Future Social Care Coalition

Natalie Grayson, National Care Organiser, GMB Union

Liz Jones, Policy Director, National Care Forum

Taking place at Care Show London, 24-25 April, this panel session explores the pressing issue of social care reform and how  it has become necessary to address the systemic crisis in the sector. Over the course of the session, the panellists emphasised the importance of professionalising social care, gaining parity with other parts of the economy, fair pay agreements, improved working conditions for care workers, and the urgent need for collaborative working among trade unions, organisations, and workers to push for change. Whilst this session took place prior to the general election, many of the sentiments and pushes for action will remain the same.

The panellists begun the conversation by underscoring the systemic crisis within the sector, reiterating the urgent need for social care reform. They emphasised the importance of professionalising social care to achieve parity with other parts of the economy and called for significant investment in reform. The discussion was also focused around fair pay agreements and improved working conditions for care workers, recognising that collaborative efforts among trade unions, organisations, and workers are essential in driving change. This began to reflect the broader theme of valuing and supporting the workforce throughout the rest of the discussion. The conversation revealed the challenges of delivering quality care and support and the need to establish standardised terms and conditions across the sector to ensure equity and effectiveness.

Liz Jones urged social care workers to challenge election candidates on their positions regarding care reform. Despite being a contentious issue due to past failures, social care remains vital for the well-being of the population. Liz explained how politicians must be convinced to invest in and reform the sector, making it a priority in the upcoming election. This mobilisation of the social care vote is crucial for driving political accountability and securing the actions needed for reform.

The idea of creating a National Care Service was another key topic explored. Gavin Edwards provided context on the concept of a National Care Service, noting its lack of detail and previous proposals from the Labor Party. The last Labour government did indeed propose a National Care Service before 2010, but it was never implemented due to their loss of power. The Corbyn-led Labour Party also included this idea in their manifesto. However, both featured very little detail or vision, and lacked substantive planning or clarity.

It was explored how organisations such as UNISON are advocating for a National Care Service with an integrated system led by local governments as commissioners. The Labour Party's commitment to establishing this service, though requiring long-term commitment, would offer an opportunity for fair pay and recognition for care workers.

The conversation then turned to the challenges of funding and branding the suggested National Care Service. A mixed funding model was suggested, while others agreed that a strong branding campaign, such as we see with the NHS, could attract longer-term funding and support, ensuring its sustainability and success.

The importance of fair pay agreements was repeatedly underscored, with panellists highlighting the salience of social care as a national priority and how standardising terms and improve living wages for care workers would help address the significant disparities within the sector. The discussion also covered the funding and commissioning necessary for better pay. The importance of sustainability of such funding was explored, whilst also acknowledging the challenges of improving pay and conditions for care workers. A balanced approach was suggested, involving a mix of taxation, borrowing, and investments rather than relying solely on new taxes. The importance of fair pay in supporting local economies was also noted.

Panellists highlighted the difficulty of implementing a national living wage policy for employers due to a lack of public investment. They called for recognition of quality care and support for individuals paying out of pocket, alongside feasible fair pay agreements for employers.

In summary, the panel discussion revolved around emphasised the urgent need for professionalisation, fair pay, and collaborative efforts to address systemic issues in the sector. By mobilising political support, advocating for a National Care Service, (and what this might look like), it was suggested that the sector could indeed move towards a more equitable and effective future.