“It is vital that councils are given a key role in coordinating the health and care system, now and in the future. Social care needs to be given parity of esteem with the NHS and any plans to improve pay and rewards to help drive recruitment should focus equally on both."
Responding to the publication of the NHS People Plan for 2020/21, Cllr Paulette Hamilton, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“Health and social care have been working more closely together than ever before during the pandemic and it is good this plan intends to strengthen this partnership further.
“It is vital that councils are given a key role in coordinating the health and care system, now and in the future. Social care needs to be given parity of esteem with the NHS and any plans to improve pay and rewards to help drive recruitment should focus equally on both.
“Proposals on staff wellbeing, inclusivity, leadership and overseas recruitment need to be extended to and funded for social care. Councils also need to ensure an increased supply of public health specialists to develop their services.
“Return to practice for retired staff and retaining the use of volunteers is also important, as this plan acknowledges, which needs to be replicated in social care settings. Details on winter planning and boosting local economies also need to be expanded upon.
“This plan shows what is possible to create great public sector workplaces and we urge government to work with us on the promised equivalent workforce plan for social care, as soon as possible.”
Notes
The LGA represents more than 330 councils of all types across England. We work on behalf of our members to support, promote and improve local government.
It is councils who had led communities through the COVID-19 crisis. Our recent polling shows that 71 per cent of residents trust their council and two thirds are satisfied with the way their local council runs things in their area. Our new discussion paper - Re-thinking Local - sets out how councils must now be empowered to locally-lead the COVID-19 recovery and tackle the economic, environmental and community challenges that we will face as a result of the pandemic.