Abbeyfield’s Director of Care Speaks to Twickenham CLP

7th June, 2023

Jacqueline McCann (left) with Lucy Abercrombie, the CLP's women's officer

Jacqueline McCann, the Director of Care at The Abbeyfield Society – one of the UK’s leading care providers – told a meeting of the Labour Party that our care system needs urgent reform.

Speaking to an all members meeting of the Twickenham CLP, Jacqueline painted a picture of a care system in crisis. This is partly due to ageing population and partly due to escalating costs and limited resources.

Abbeyfield responded to the cost of living crisis by giving a generous 15% pay rise to their staff. The sector continues to face recruitment challenges and this is leading to rising agency costs, she explained. “Since the pandemic we have seen a lot of staff leave the sector” she explained.

Jaqueline also asked the question, “Why is care considered to be unskilled?” and called for greater professionalisation of the industry. “Care staff take on a lot of responsibility,” she explaine, adding that we need to show clear evidence of a career path if we are to attract people into the industry. She pointed out that Abbeyfield offers professional qualifications to its employees and encourages career progression, which has resulted in many of its employees moving into more senior roles. Jacqeuline stressed the importance of encouraging people into the care sector for it to be sustainable in the future.

A Joined-up approach

“People want to live independently but there will always be a need for residential and nursing care so we need a proper pathway from home into care”.

Responding to a question about how to address ‘bed blocking’ in hospitals – people well enough to be discharged but with no care spaces available – Jacqueline explained that there are beds available but there should be easier pathways to funding that are more joined up, streamlined and based on choice and control. “We often have to make multiple assessments of the same patient for different agencies. The system is difficult to navigate for providers, let alone for ordinary members of the public.”

“We need more investment in our care system,” she concluded, “but tackling the problem will also require a more joined up approach between all agencies in the health and social care sector.”