End Social Care Disgrace

WHO WE ARE
End Social Care Disgrace is campaigning for a national care, support and independent living service (NaCSILS). It is a unique alliance seeking to bring together disabled and older people, unpaid carers, health campaigners, care and support workers and trade unions to put Social Care in the Spotlight and pursue radical change.  Keep Our NHS Public is fully committed to the campaign and Tony O’Sullivan, KONP’s co-chair, chairs the End Social Care Disgrace Campaign steering group.  

Find out more about the campaign at our website www.endsocialcaredisgrace.org

We are demanding that care and support should be publicly provided, universally available and free at the point of use as initially intended for the NHS. However we also believe that a change in ownership is not sufficient.  Just getting the market out and calling for a national CARE service will not suffice. Current provision is often deeply institutionalised, rooted in a medical model, focused almost entirely on trying to meet people’s basic physical needs and delivered within a protectionist welfare model of “doing to”, where those drawing on services are not regarded as full agents and equal members of society. 

See our Vision document here

NEWS

ESCaD goes to Westminster

Thanks to John McDonnell, ESCaD had a hearing in the Palace of Westminster on November 18th. We fielded about 30 activists and ten contributions, both live and on video, across the whole spectrum of social care. There was significant interest from MPs and Peers but not as many attended as we hoped. However it was great to have Lord Prem Sikka, Baroness Ruth Lister and MP Rupa Huq there for much of the meeting and appearances from Adrian Ramsey, co-leader of the Greens, Seamus Logan, SNP lead on Social Care and others.

  • Gordon Peters presented ESCaD’s platform and suggested some intermediate demands.
  • Brian Fisher argued that a radical transformation of Social Care is both affordable and necessary.
  • Lord Prem Sikka made a powerful case against private provision, highlighting large care home providers making 40% profits and many being forcibly closed by the CQC.
  • Rachael Tomlinson, East Yorkshire disability activist and advocate living with MS, talked about the day to day struggle of disabled people – almost a third of whom are also carers – just to get vital support and suggested that it is now about SURVIVE or DIE!
  • Helen Rowlands, North West Disability activist and researcher, highlighted the impact of rising care charges and the huge numbers of disabled people subject to Local Authority debt recovery action.
  • Jo Walton, full time family carer from West Yorkshire, talked about the fight not only to get support for oneself and the person you are caring for, but to be heard and recognised as a partner in planning. She argued for caring to be recognised as a protected characteristic under the Human Rights Act and warned carers won’t be silent any longer!
  • Anna Rose talked movingly about how her adult disabled son, Marcus, died in a residential home through what the Coroner described as “a gross failure of care and neglect” and her efforts to get responsibility assigned in order to protect others. INQUEST staff said they knew of 18 similar cases and many more deaths in “care” from other causes.
  • Steve North, President of Unison, Secretary of Salford Branch and ex care worker talked about tackling the poor pay and conditions of care workers, particularly in the private sector and called for the delivery of a democratic, not for profit, non- hierarchical, national care and support service where people who work in in the service and those in receipt of support have a real voice and the exploitation of staff is ended.
  • Sybil Nandi Msezane, senior care worker from the Pan African Workers Association, noted that care workers from abroad are being conned into paying vast sums for a certificate of sponsorship before coming to the UK, promised work or accommodation that doesn’t exist and no longer allowed to bring their children. They daren’t speak up about mal- practice at work for fear of losing their job as if they can’t find alternative employment within 60 days they risk being deported.
  • John McDonnell called for maximising cross party, cross campaigns and grassroots pressure for change.

Shared themes included

  • Take profit out of care; it distorts priorities
  • Co –production is vital in planning services and building inclusive communities
  • End drift. The need for a National Care, Support Independent Living service is URGENT.
  • Immediate action is needed to address current injustices regarding care charging, benefits, access to – not pressure into – paid work, an end to unnecessary, demeaning re-assessments etc.

You can see the three video contributions here:

  • Rachael Tomlinson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtFAcgWliIc
  • Jo Walton: https://youtu.be/K8fKhFx37Jk
  • Steve North: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE7oYIe6YHk

Outcomes from the Meeting

We are now in touch with more interested MPs and Peers. As the short videos had a big impact we are planning to produce a series of 2 minute videos marrying personal stories with political punch and circulate these to a wide range of politicians and others, accompanied by short briefings.

If you can send our newsletter below to your MP, maybe ask for a meeting to discuss social care and let us know if they are interested that would be a big help.

OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER
Read more about this meeting and more information by viewing or downloading our newsletter here.

ARTICLES
Why the UK really does need a clear plan to fix adult social care
by Anna Barford Principal Research Associate, University of Cambridge and Mia Gray Professor of Economic Geography, University of Cambridge. The article was first published in The Conversation, on June 7 2024

UK’s new back to work plan will make life even harder for disabled people
Richard Machin, Nottingham Trent University. The article was first published in The Conversation

DOWNLOADs
OUR LATEST POSTCARD
Download pdf here
Download postcard front here
Download postcard back here

MARCHES AND PARTY CONFERENCES
Labour Party conference in Liverpool 2023

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

◼︎Order our free postcards for stalls, protests, events, conferences etc by emailing a delivery address to [email protected] or texting 07419 295754.

◼︎ Write to  candidates in the national elections using the template letter and links  on the ESCaD campaign website at https://endsocialcaredisgrace.org/national-election-campaign/   

◼︎Join our hustings on Zoom on Tuesday 25th June 6.30 – 8pm with John McDonnell (Labour), Dr. Palavi Devulapali (Green Party) et al. Register in advance here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuc-2trj8tGtzu5B53PXzldlwi7XEls0kB   

◼︎Join our circulation list by Emailing:  [email protected] and donate here if you can: https://endsocialcaredisgrace.org/donate-to-nacsils/

◼︎Put our motion to your trade union or political party branch and ask them to affiliate  See https://endsocialcaredisgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ESCaD-Motion-updated-4.24.pdf.     

◼︎Become an ESCaD Activist and help to build the campaign. Our open working groups are the heart of the campaign and very much welcome new people. Currently they are – Politicians, Carers, Trade Unions and Publicity. All meet approximately monthly on Zoom and we have quarterly joint Activists / Steering Group meetings.  To express an interest, get more info and details of meetings   Email: [email protected]   and/or text 07419295754