- Conference
- 2022 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 23 June 2022
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference notes that it has debated many motions over recent years on elderly social care. Everyone is aware of poor pay and training for staff; inadequate care for elderly people needing this help in residential and nursing homes or in their own home. There is a large turnover of care staff and this has only increased over the time of the pandemic. With over 165,000 in UNISON this is a burning issue for our retired members
Nothing that the Governments in Westminster, in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland has done will make any impact on this crisis situation.
A House of Lords report in 2019 said that 1.4 million elderly people have an unmet care need. The Health Foundation’s report “What’s the problem with social care” identified a funding gap of £18 million for social care by 2030/31. UNISON General Secretary Christina McAnea has stated that without sufficient staff the Government’s policy on the NHS and Social Care is doomed.
Conference calls upon the National Retired Members Committee to liaise with the National Executive Council, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Scottish TUC to:
1) continue to campaign for improvements to social care for the elderly, including the provision of care by the Public Sector;
2) continue to campaign for increased investment particularly in the work force, and
3) report back each year to this Conference on measures taken during the year.