Rotherham pensioners say future of adult social care is “depressing”

Keith Billington, from Rotherham Pensioners Action Group, was among 700 delegates at the the National Pensioners Convention in Blackpool.

He said: “It was a very depressing couple of days because what we were told from the platform by various speakers is that the social care sector for the elderly is in crisis.”

Budgets for adult social care are down more than 30 per cent since 2010 and the Centre of Research on Soco-Cultural Change (CRESC) has warned that 1.86 million people over 50 are not receiving the care they need.

Mr Billington said: “With this kind of reduction is it any wonder that 74 per cent of councils have a 15-minute slot for home care workers visits with not enough time for personal care, nutritional meals or assessments?

“There was real concern also at the quality, or lack of it, in the private care homes sector, with just one per cent being rated outstanding and 40 per cent needing improvement after inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

“It is just not good enough, and the CQC is also proposing inspections happen less often.”

The convention is a non-political umbrella organisation representing 100 local, regional and national groups for older people.

It has called for standards of care to be improved by tackling low pay and poor training for care workers, while sharing the cost through a tax-funded National Health and Care Service.

Mr Billington said: “We can but dream! But while ever ‘austerity’ rules, common sense goes out of the window.”