Spending Review Debate

How was your weekend? 

A considerable portion of mine was spent preparing for a debate programme being recorded by BBC Points West on Sunday evening in Bristol.  I had been invited to speak on the potential impact of the Government spending review on social care.  A very important subject and one on which I was anxious to convey the key messages of concern across our sector.  I made my way to Bristol and joined the audience for the programme as invited.  The debate proceeded and got quite heated at times.  I sat wondering when my time would come to be called to speak but it didn't!  The debate turned out to be mainly about reorganisation of local government, the abolition of QUANGOS and public sector pension reform.  Health and social care didn't get a look in.  So a very frustrating evening and no chance on this occasion to express views on the essential need to preserve efficient and cost effective front line services for vulnerable people in communities such as those we provide.

I can see this debate becoming very heated in the coming weeks and it will be important that the voice of social care is heard.  Few people in the general public understand how social care is provided and funded.  There is little recognition that  nowadays it is mainly provided by independent sector companies such as ours where terms and conditions for staff are generally less favourable than those enjoyed in the public sector, and where scope for "efficiency" savings is very limited because we are already so much more efficient, and where we struggle continually to secure a fair price for the services we provide. 

I fear that this wider public spending debate may degenerate nationally into a battle between the public and private sectors and can sense the anger growing amongst public sector employees as they perceive that they are bearing the brunt of cuts.  These are without doubt very challenging times for everyone and it is important to have in mind the huge impact that the austerity agenda is having within county councils.  Somerset CC announced 1500 job cuts last week.

The BBC debate will be screened at 10.35pm on Thursday 9 September.