6th October 2022
The home care sector, one which plays a vital role within our society, has been at the forefront of political ping pong and the front line of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, since TerraBlu Homecare was founded 20 years ago. The challenges within the industry have come thick and fast. Founder and managing director, Richard Gould, reflects on some of the reasons the industry has been subject to so much disruption, how they have navigated these issues and, most importantly, what these mean for the elderly in our community.
Homecare in the community is increasing in importance
Medical advances have led to increased longevity. And as the NHS closed many of its long-term elderly wards in the interests of improving efficiency for younger age groups, pressure on social care in the community has increased significantly over the last decade. This is not a problem specific to the UK, in western Europe the ever-aging population is one of the significant challenges facing the healthcare care sector. In the UK, nearly a fifth of people are now aged 65 and over, with forecasts suggesting they will amount to one in four by 2045.
When home is a lifeline
There is a great benefit to people’s wellbeing when they are able to remain in their own homes. David Cameron delivered a keynote speech in 2015, which placed great emphasis on helping people remain in their own homes for as long as possible. This has generally become the primary approach, and there is a lot of evidence for the benefits of supporting people – especially those with dementia – to remain in familiar surroundings.
This has greatly increased the demand for domiciliary care. Meeting this has always been a challenge, as caregivers have never received the social recognition and rewards that it truly merits.
Brexit blues
At TerraBlu, our fabulous workforce has been a blend of brilliant local carers and wonderful carers from the EU, which enabled us to support more elderly residents in their home. Unfortunately, following Brexit, the ability of UK businesses particularly in care to plug shortfalls with overseas recruits was paused. The effect of Brexit was profound. Recognising the acute challenges which the care industry was navigating, in February 2022, the government granted permission to recruit care workers from around the world to plug shortfalls, but the process is extremely bureaucratic and domiciliary care work is seen as the most demanding. Foreign workers need to find somewhere to live as well as running a car to visit clients. So most foreign workers opt for live-in type work or care homes, particularly those that provide accommodation on site.
Looking forward
In the future, domiciliary care will continue to provide a vital resource to the frail elderly wishing to continue living at home, and high wage rates mean that it is an increasingly attractive option for those who are seeking fulfilling, part-time work, within their local community. However, given the labour shortages which we continue to face, it is likely to become a luxury service in the Southeast of England. We hope that the care service is recognised for its vital role within our aging community, rather than the cheap commodity service it has historically been regarded as.
Whatever the world throws at us, at TerraBlu we are fully committed to continuing to provide a superior standard of care to our clients, old and new and to attract new staff to help our cause. If you’d like to know more about our care services, or are considering a career in caring, please feel free to give us a call on 01892 529429.