Highlands and Islands MSP, Edward Mountain has today launched his ‘Time to Talk’ campaign which has the three following aims:
- Combat loneliness of those receiving personal care-at-home
- Change how NHS Highland commissions care-at-home packages
- Extend care beyond purely physical needs to include wellbeing
Edward Mountain MSP has launched the campaign in order to improve the wellbeing of those receiving personal care across the Highlands and to reduce their feelings of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Edward Mountain MSP has called on NHS Highland to change how it delivers care-at-home packages to ensure that personal care is “less functional and more person-centred.”
The ‘Time To Talk’ campaign has also won the support of two of the region’s largest care providers, Highland Home Carers Ltd and Home Care (Scotland) Ltd, who Edward Mountain has been in close contact with throughout the pandemic.
Edward Mountain MSP commented:
“Those receiving personal care in the Highlands are feeling more alone and more isolated than ever before.”
“This issue existed prior to the pandemic, but the lockdown has made it more severe. As we head into Winter we need to make serious changes to how care-at-home is delivered.”
“Imagine being a lonely 80 year old widow who has a single 20 minute visit from her personal carer each day. Her personal carer has time to get her client dressed and out of bed, but no time left to talk because of the design of NHS Highland’s care-at-home contracts.”
“That needs to change and this is why I am launching the ‘Time to Talk’ campaign.”
“In the Highlands, we need to see a move from ‘time and task’ care to a more personable approach, where carers have more time to talk and, therefore, can help to reduce the isolation of those they look after.”
“For this to happen NHS Highland must change how it commissions care-at-home packages as the current system is too functional. We need to move towards a model of person-centred care-at-home in the Highlands.”
Campbell Mair, Managing Director of Highland Home Carers said:
“Over many years, the pressure to contain costs has driven forms of commissioning that significantly constrain the sector in delivering fair work to the social care workforce, and in maintaining quality and standards of service. While we all recognise that there are real challenges in how to pay for social care, there remains an urgent need to address the extent to which the resulting commissioning and contracting system is placing most of the risk and burdens of tight finances, and policy reform, onto the workforce.
“Work is timetabled, task-focused, and people are not able to use their judgement to improve or adapt the support they provide. Yet this is a skilled and highly regulated workforce, expected in other ways to act in a professional manner in undertaking what is undeniably a highly responsible role.”
“Protections for workers in the sector are simply not strong enough to counteract a system that frames and constrains what employers in the sector can offer to their workforces, and constrains the flexibility of care and support for the benefit of the most vulnerable adults in our communities.”
“The current commissioning practice of hourly rate based non-committal agreements should end.”
“Social care providers should be commissioned based on their level of skill, expertise, understanding, and application of the Fair Work Framework, and on costs based on the right numbers of staffing required and a satisfactory and fair income level for each member of staff.”
“As the Highlands’ largest provider of Care at Home and Support services, we understand very clearly that high quality social care is vital for the quality of our society, and we welcome Edward Mountain’s “Time to Talk” campaign as a significant step in the right direction.”
“We should, in all fairness, acknowledge that we are working very well with NHS Highland, in exploring commissioning models that better support the Social Care sector, the workforce, and people who we care for and support. The sector woks well in partnership with NHS Highland, and we are closer to partnerships of equal than are evident in other parts of Scotland. NHS Highland should be recognised as having a supportive and open mind in relation to Social Care."
Michelle Keir, Business Development and Operations Manager of Home Care (Scotland) Ltd said:
“We at Home Care Scotland welcome any opportunity to highlight how the care journey and quality of life of our service users could be improved through enhanced visits and companionship. The pandemic has been challenging for everyone - especially those who have been isolated and distanced from their normal support network. It is so important that the home care sector and the staff who deliver the care are recognised as being integral parts of the communities they serve."
“We are passionate about the care we provide and are committed to working with Scottish Care and our partners at NHS Highland to always achieve the best outcome for our service users.”
“We feel that Edward Mountain’s “Time to Talk” campaign will be a significant step in the right direction to achieving better outcomes for all in the Highlands”
