“Social work should have been at the forefront of defending the rights of those who have needed care during the Covid crisis, from asylum seekers to older people in care homes denied contact with their families.”
Nick Kempe
“Scottish Ministers could usefully commission further rapid reports on aspects of what is going wrong from people prepared to think critically. The users of services, their families and the staff who work in care deserve no less.”
Nick Kempe: A better plan for tackling Covid in care homes requires asking the right questions
Nick Kempe, former head of service for Elderly People in Glasgow, examines what we know so far about the review of adult social care, and if it’s really thinking radically enough about the scale of changes required to address the deep structural problems in the sector which have been so evident during the covid-19 crisis. […]
Nick Kempe: Towards a genuine National Care Service?
“If the Scottish Government were to decide to create a not for profit National Care Service under which the workforce was fairly paid and properly trained, domiciliary services would be the easiest to reform.”
Nick Kempe: Care at home and the Covid crisis
“Regulation of the care home market is very weak, with almost no attention is given to issues like sector consolidation, let alone questions about whether the owner of a care home is prepared to put care before profit.”
Nick Kempe: Why we should be concerned that Real Estate Investment Trusts are expanding into the care home market
“The health impacts of Covid-19 shouldn’t just be assessed in terms of those who have died, but also by looking at the lives of those who have survived.”
Nick Kempe: What’s happening with rehabilitation in care homes in Scotland?
“What’s needed now is a critical grilling of the role of the Scottish Government in the care home disaster. Without great public pressure, fed by the voices of those harmed by the crisis, that will be a long time coming.”
Nick Kempe: To understand the care home scandal, the voices of those affected must be heard
“We need to re-enable families to look after older people where they so wish and address the income and housing issues that currently prevent this.”
Nick Kempe: Hostages to Covid –the rights of care home residents and their relatives
“The advantages of one National Care Service aligned with the NHS would be considerable… Instead of providers competing with the NHS for scarce staff, resources could be planned and deployed where most needed.”
Nick Kempe: It’s time for debate on a National Care Service for Scotland
“As the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths thankfully drop, it is more important than ever that pressure is kept on government to account for what has gone wrong and use this to inform a proper plan to protect older and other vulnerable people should Covid-19 return.”