We would like to know what the UK Government is planning to do to help sustain and develop the UK homecare sector.

We run BeKind Ltd a Homecare provider operating in Devon

The recently announced Government clampdown on the immigration of foreign workers is probably a good thing. If however immigration restriction is pursued as a stand-alone policy without a complimentary focus on the rapid development of viable home-grown homecare resources, then it will bring a further disastrous pressure on both the UK homecare sector and the NHS.

It seems generally accepted that a well resourced and effective homecare sector would improve the health and wellbeing of the disabled and elderly at home and this in turn relieves pressure on the NHS. As a nation the population is getting older and homecare will become even more important with time.

The NHS, under immense pressure, demands and receives more and more funding, but is this money well spent? Each NHS doctor comes with 2.2 nurses at a cost of around £150,000 (in salary) plus very substantial benefit, management, capital and facilities maintenance costs. The average salary of a full time homecare worker in the UK is around £23,500 (vs the average UK salary overall at £37,430) with far less overhead costs than those of the NHS

It seems pretty obvious that there is more value added in spending taxpayers money on supporting the disabled and elderly at home, rather than in hospital beds. However many homecare workers struggle to make ends meet, homecare businesses like ours struggle to find workers with the right qualifications and many of our clients struggle to pay for their care. 

An urgent and strategic governmental focus is required to increase the size of and improve the capability of the UK homecare workforce together with appropriate funding to improve the viability of the homecare sector as a whole,

Yours sincerely
Nikole Emily Randall 
Managing Director - Bee Kind Support Ltd