Healthcare 'staffing crisis' must act as a catalyst for social care reform

The social care sector must not have a sticking plaster placed on it we need a long-term solution. Pic: SWNS

It is an unusual measure but health bosses in Leeds have agreed to provide NHS staff to plug gaps in the care home sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This comes on the back of a request to healthcare providers across the region to look at the potential for “workforce sharing arrangements” to help “bolster care home resilience” in the city.

The sector has been particularly badly-hit during the crisis.

Recent council figures show that 47 care homes in Leeds suffered from Covid-19 outbreaks at the virus’s peak.

The Royal College of Nursing has said that this cannot be a long-term staffing solution and they are absolutely right.

There is a real “staffing crisis” in both health and social care sectors and the pandemic must serve as the catalyst for reforming our adult social care system once and for all.

Just a few days ago we celebrated the remarkable efforts of the NHS and its staff on its 72nd birthday.

The social care sector must not have a sticking plaster placed on it – we need a long-term solution.

Healthcare 'staffing crisis' must act as a catalyst for social care reform - the YEP says