Care workers need parity of esteem and pay with NHS workers, writes Rachael Dodgson, while Dr Chris Allen calls for strategies to fix fragmented services and Debbie Black describes the effect of Brexit on the staffing crisis
News that half of care workers would now earn more in a job at a supermarket highlights the urgent need for a national social care workforce strategy (Report, 24 August). The government continues to assert that this is the responsibility of local authorities, but these are in no position to offer increased funding. Many have been selling assets or raiding reserves for years to protect what services they can.
The cost of living crisis has provided the tipping point. One of our support workers was recently forced to leave the job he loved because with his skills he could earn far more in the NHS. As a support worker, his pay was simply not representative of the complex work he did every day.
