UNISON, the UK’s biggest union, today issued a warning over the proposed changes to registration and appeals process for health, social work and social care staff, moving through Parliament as part of the Health and Social care Bill.
Among other concerns, the union called for the existing appeals process for social workers to be upheld, saying that the proposed changes could price staff out of challenging unfair treatment. The union also said that poverty pay and poor training opportunities both endemic in the social care workforce would make voluntary registration for care workers unworkable.
Helga Pile, UNISON national officer for social care, said:
“We want the government to look again at its plans for changing the appeals and registration process for social workers.
“It is only right that staff working in a sensitive sector like social work have access to a fair, transparent and effective way of challenging unfair treatment. But these changes could make it prohibitively expensive, and far more difficult for social workers to take an appeal. The appeal process currently available is accessible, efficient and cost effective. If it ain’t broke why fix it?
“The plans for voluntary registration schemes for social care workers need to get real. Care workers are stuck on poverty pay – why should they be expected to fund a registration scheme out of their own pockets? This is pushing the cost of public protection on to the lowest paid, who can barely survive on the money they get now. Previous initiatives to get 50% of all care workers qualified up to NVQ level 2 foundered due to low pay, high staff turnover (28% pa) and lack of investment*.
“If the Government is really interested in raising quality, it should put in standards for employers to ensure they train their workers properly in key areas like dementia care, dignity and handling medicines. There should be a push to boost skills and qualifications, and pay levels with proper funding. The people who rely on care workers want them to be well paid and highly skilled, so that they stay in the job and build good relationships.”
UNISON’s key concerns for social workers:
– Changing registration from the General Social Care Council (GSCC) to the Health & Care Professions Council will see the appeals process transferred to the High Court from the Care Standards Tribunal.
– The grounds for appeal will be much narrower and less responsive to the complexities of social work cases.
– Pursuing an appeal will become more expensive and risky as staff will have to instruct barristers and run the risk of having costs awarded against them.
– Social workers will struggle to afford a higher ‰ÛÒ more than doubled – registration fee. We think that fees should be subsidised, and phased in, with lower charges for part time staff.
UNISON’s key concerns for care workers
– We believe that voluntary registration for care workers will be unworkable and unfair.
– Median pay for a care worker nationally is £6.50 an hour but this drops to just above minimum wage in many regions (W Midlands, North East and North West)* – these staff simply cannot afford to pay to go on a register so they will not.
– Provision of training by social care employers is dire – only 25% of care workers have a relevant qualification. And with councils continuing to sell care contracts off to the lowest bidder who will pay for this additional training?
– The government may say councils can choose to only deal with companies whose staff are on the register – but unless there is an unprecedented boost in training and funding they will soon run out of options.
– We also have concerns about the way voluntary registers will deal with complaints, and what rights people will have around being removed from the register. It remains very unclear how transparent and fair a voluntary system will be in terms of making referrals to the vetting and barring lists
UNISON’s key concerns for health workers:
– There is a real danger in shifting the emphasis away from national, statutory regulation, towards employers/commissioners managing risk.
-For many years now UNISON and health care assistants (HCA) have been calling for proper regulation. Public protection is at the heart of our members work and we believe regulation of HCAs is long over due.
– UNISON welcomes the new role of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) and will be seeking to ensure that health care workers benefit from a freeze to costly registration fees.
*Stats source – Skills for Care National Minimum Data Set