Minstead Trust joins calls for urgent action on social care

15 July 2022

Minstead Trust is joining the first Social Care Lobby Day on 19 July to show its support along with hundreds of other social care providers, workers, and those who draw on care.

The south coast charity for people with learning disabilities is supporting efforts to lobby MPs and Peers to ask for their help for emergency action on social care.

Despite the Government’s promises, the Adult Social Care White Paper and Build Back Better Plan reforms, social care is definitely not ‘fixed’ or ‘done’.

Even before the pandemic there was a recruitment and retention crisis – with 110,000 vacancies. Now the situation is critical. Current estimates indicate upwards of 150,000 vacancies in social care. The cost of living crisis is impacting – disproportionately – on those who work in social care and the sector is struggling to retain and recruit.

Adam Dodd, Minstead Trust Chief Executive, said: ‘We are fully behind the Future Social Care Coalition’s plea for emergency action on social care. Minstead Trust supports more than 220 people with learning disabilities along the south coast and our staff see first-hand evidence every day that the sector is in crisis.

‘Despite paying above the industry average, we still struggle to fill all our vacancies. The committed staff we do have are pushed to breaking point to meet the needs of the people they support. It is time for society and the government to truly value and fund social care and ensure that the most vulnerable people in society are given the support they deserve.’

Minstead Trust is a charity that supports people with learning disabilities from the New Forest to Portsmouth. This includes supporting people to live in their own homes, learn new skills in day opportunities centres and gain work experience through job training and placements.

The Trust is supporting the FSCC Social Care Lobby Day and is calling on Government to act on social care through #PayFairforCare and admitting that #SocialCareisNotDone.The Social Care Lobby Day will make the economic and moral case to Government that social care must be recognised and properly rewarded.

Find out more at www.futuresocialcarecoalition.org