Commenting on the government's plans to recruit an ‘army’ of social care volunteers to support people being discharged from hospital, RCOT Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Ben Powick, said:
‘While volunteers undoubtedly play an important role in the care system, there are 165,000 vacancies in social care in England. Social care is about so much more than picking up medication and shopping, and without filling all the gaps in the workforce, people won’t be able to access the support they need. This announcement is even more disappointing considering the government backtracked on its previous commitment to social care investment in April.
‘Thousands of occupational therapists work in social care, and they’re crying out for support as they see sharp increases in demand, according to our recent workforce survey. All of this added up suggests that the government just doesn’t value our hardworking social care workforce and doesn’t care about the people supported by it. This is why we need a Social Care People Plan to address the crisis in the sector and to ensure that people have access to the support when they need it, something which we have been calling for as part of the Future Social Care Coalition.’