Commenting on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Friday):
“This report makes it crystal clear that the care sector is on the precipice due to the catastrophic staffing crisis.
“Care homes are closing because they can’t recruit, putting unbearable pressure on other parts of an already-struggling system. And the government’s hopeless ‘no jab, no job’ policy is about to make the situation a whole lot worse.
“Ministers can’t keep wringing their hands or behaving like the care crisis is someone else’s problem.
“Urgent action is needed to improve pay for this skilled, crucial work and begin to plug the gaping holes in the care workforce.
“With a winter crisis looming, and Covid cases on the rise, the knock-on effect for hospitals will be disastrous.
“Nothing short of a total overhaul, with the proper investment to match, will fix the broken care sector. The nation cannot be allowed to keep failing the elderly and vulnerable.”
