Celebration of Care

Our Celebration of Care event at Bristol Cathedral went very well. With an audience of 300 we challenged councillors and other city leaders to recognise the true value of care, both informal and professional, to our local communities.

The speakers were:

Lydia Hayes of T&G "What is happening in Bristol is significant, what will happen in Bristol will be ground breaking.

Care will be Celebrated in this city – tonight is the start. Care for the elderly and the vulnerable will not be marginalised. Care workers will be proud of their profession and will demand to be valued as professionals.

Informal carers, those that give their love, give their time, give their emotional energy
for those dear to them who need their assistance, will be supported and assisted by care professionals.

Ivan Lewis, the minister for social care, has recognised that current provision in England is inadequate, he has asked for a national debate. Let that debate start tonight,

Let the voices of the home care workers and the service users be heard.

Charlotte Leslie of the Conservative Party gave a passionate insight into to the true value of care by drawing on her personal experience of caring for an older vulnerable person with failing sight.

Jack Dromey, T&G Deputy General Secretary had a message for Bristol City Council - you may be seeking to cast aside the Home Care workers – but WE won’t. There is a national crisis in care – that is not an excuse for allowing a local crisis to emerge. It is a reason to put things right and to start putting it right locally.

The Home Care Workers of Bristol have three demands:

1 - that 50% of the Home Care service is kept in house. Enough is enough, no further privatisation.

2 - that the vacancy freeze which the service has struggled with on and off for years is now lifted.

3 - that the Council demonstrates a commitment to, and a respect for, high quality management of its Home Care service.

It is only if these three demands are met that we can be sure older and vulnerable people in this city are protected.

Stephanie Weston was the final speaker of the evening. There were quite a few in the audience that shed tears. She said: "We are paid Carers, but its beginning to feel like we really aren’t supposed to care. In a world where only the cheapest service will do, are we supposed to get in and out of a house as quick as possible?

Are we supposed to care by doing the bare minimum?

Are we supposed to resist from building any bond or attachment with people?

It is supposed to be ‘unprofessional’ to get too close, to really care.

I’m going to talk about the truth that anyone who works in Home Care knows.

The whole point of Home Care is to prevent people in need ending up in institutions. To stop them from going into residential or nursing homes before they need to, to stop them from needing hospitalization, to stop them from becoming that most demonised of patients: ‘bed blockers’.

So we look after them at HOME. From the minute we walk through the door, we enter their personal space, we impact on their personal private lives.

We do an amazing job, we are special people who support special people.

The relationships we build and the trust people place in us cannot be priced.

How much value can be placed on being a friendly, familiar face to a lonely person?

How much value can be placed on our role as an extra family member during times of crisis?

These things are special things, these things should not be ignored because they have no financial value.

They cannot be costed. We are priceless!

Councillors and the people of Bristol: You have a great service with a flexible, dedicated, hard working, workforce. A service which is cherished by its users and their families. A service which is irreplaceable.

Work with us to build on these foundations and Celebrate Care

Provide an in house homecare service which others covet

A service which treats people as individuals and values the unique and intimate bond between service users and homecare assistance

A service which will set the benchmark

A service where care comes before profit

A Celebration of Care that Bristol can be proud of.