- Conference
- 2013 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 19 June 2013
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference recognises that with an ageing population, older people will increasingly need quality home care services. Therefore it is vital to improve the UK’s homecare system for the people who receive it and the workers who provide it.
However, a survey commissioned by UNISON into the current state of homecare illustrated the many failings of the current system. For example 79.1% of respondents reported that their work schedule is arranged in such a way that they either have to rush their work or leave a client early to get to the next visit on time. One homecare worker wrote in the report: “I never seem to have enough time for the human contact and care that these people deserve”.
Conference notes that in response to this situation, UNISON has created an Ethical Care Charter which provides a set of standards that Councils should stick to when they commission homecare services.
The Charter calls for service users to be given the time to talk with their homecare workers and receive the same worker wherever possible. It also calls for homecare workers to be treated with dignity and allowed to do their jobs better, to be paid at least a living wage, including travel time and to receive regular quality training.
Conference therefore calls on the National Retired Members Committee to promote the Ethical Care Campaign amongst UNISON’s retired members so that they can be involved in helping to create communities where people in receipt of care and those who provide it are both treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.