joenorth Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Everything's relative Paul - if someone paid off my mortgage and gave me sixteen grand to deposit in my account in addition, I'd feel well off, I can assure you!Does a person living in a care centre need a cash sum of sixteen thousand pounds lying in their bank account waiting to be claimed by their offspring when they finally shuffle off? Not to my mind. It should be used to relieve the financial burden on care systems, and thereby the taxpayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Someone mentioned "Cradle to the grave" - Beveridge and the other guy (forgot his name) didn't just intend it to cover the NHS but also social care, as we now know it, was born. Alas, many of the principles associated died with the introduction of the legislation in the early 1990s with the introduction of NHS & Community Care Act 1990, which also covers Scotland. In essence, what has come about as a result of this Act is competition within hospitals, etc., which didn't exist before - a so called free market. IMHO, carers in many parts of the UK are under-paid. Whilst in London many carers earn £6.50 per hour, the same position attracts over £8.00 per hour in Shetland. My mother is in a care home in Lincolnshire and is funded mostly by the Local Authority. My father, on the other hand, lives in a dire bedsit, has approximately £13,000 in savings (rapidly diminishing) with four carer visits per day. My mother has no bills to pay, all food provided. After gentle persuasion, my father is now looking at moving into a new "care village" where he will have no heating/electricity/food bills but will have to pay an additional care attendance element of his rent. If he lives that long, he will move in July. My mother's care is approximately £450 per week and my Dad's will be £500 per week. He is saddened that whereas my mother has never worked, he has worked all his life and now the money he intends to leave to a cancer charity will go in care costs. Governments would rather spend money on so-called wars than care. I'm trying to work out the reasons why a care home costs more to run up here than in, for example, Lincolnshire. Staff costs appear to be one element but what about food, rates, utilities, etc? On a similar note, it saddens me to see charities inventing new projects in order that they can get National Lottery funding but cannot apply to the National Lottery for funding for existing projects. However, it is wrong that so many sectors rely on the goodwill of people via charities in order that people's needs are met. I wonder if Goldman Sachs have reduced their philanthropic activities or increased them given their recent results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 unlink the wage level is upto £12 an hour. joenorth i will get shot for this hoping the wife does not read this but the nurses are paid well enough. however your right a untrained or trained to a basic level are getting better pay than staff nurses. there have been a few staff nurses who have left the nhs and work for the care centres. a lot better pay and a lot less paper work and stress. when they do work for the care centres they are banned from using their nursing skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 an option would be to have a not for profit company set up to run them and to pay standard levels of wages fr the staff. That's a good idea. perhaps it could be called something like the Shetland Welfare Trust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 that last word starts me twitching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugle Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 The Shetland Welfare Trust was probably the most successful trust Shetland has seen. So successful in fact that the SIC insisted on incorporating it into their own services - with associated additional costs. I have never heard a bad word said about it from former staff, management or clients. It was a sad day it was absorbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 The original reason for incorporating the Welfare Trust care homes in the SIC was to save money in admin costs. According to this SIC press release http://www.shetland.gov.uk/news-advice/bulletins/2004/09/prsct0915.asp If the Council ran all the care homes, it is estimated that savings in the region of £270,000 per annum can be secured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper33 Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I never write in these things, but having read the newspaper this morning, im totally shocked with regards to the way that old folk in care homes are going to be charged these sums of money, its shocking, some of these people have done so much for this country just to be shafted in return, and then I hear on the radio that money from the USA and UK will be sent to pay the Taliban to switch sides hmmmmm, Last nights news showed pictures of old folk in haiti with no homes and how they were suffering, then it continued to say that the aid wasnt coming through quick enough, what about our people, what do they get? this is just my opinion, but come on it's rediculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 sorry that was before i came here. i did not know about it.who would think that a councils admin would be more effective than a private concern. really really daft question were these savings made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para Handy Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 It outs me in mind of Logan's Run after 45 you were put out to die as you were just a burden on some twits life style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 This will also have an impact on the mentally ill. It does seem a shame for someone to save all their life to only loose it all because of an illness. Seems a little wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 my Grandfather passed away in a care centre a couple o year ago, he had been thru the depression in the 30's , survived the war, worked for pittance wages and ultimately came poorly as a widower with cancer as an old man with a few pound stashed, yes he paid his dues as he had all his life and nobody was grudging it as hes was truly cared for. Towards the end when he was almost delirious on morphiene am quite sure money was his last worry , as it was the immediate familys last worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 i am sorry about your dad and of course its the last thing that you would have been think of at the time. gussie raises a very valid point when they are throwing millions at art and music venues. and spending daft amounts via the arts for light shows but they can't cover the cost of looking after our elderly. even if there was issues with the charity commission then resolve them instead of cutting services for the vulnerable. either do what they were founded for or resign and get someone in who can run it for the benefit of the poor and needy. for pity sake do your jobs as trusties for the Shetland people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 am not at all well versed on this n not taking sides , but are the care homes rules n regs no pretty well sown up from "from above", kinda told how they are to run things, and whats the running costs made up of? how much is public money n how much is trust money ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 then they would be charging the same as most of the uk. the rule is that they have to pass on the cost of the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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