Monday 28th December 2015

A FAIR DEAL FOR CARE WORKERS 

We are well and truly into the Christmas holidays and I hope you have had some time to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family after a busy working year. In my Christmas message to readers in the Tele last week I paid tribute to those in our emergency services and armed personnel serving overseas.

However, in my final column of the year I would also like to give a special mention to all the care workers who go that extra mile morning, noon and night, looking after the elderly keeping them safe in their own homes where they want to be.

Despite the great job they do, our care workers are often underpaid, undervalued and under stress.  It’s for this reason I am backing calls made last week by Scottish Labour for a Living Wage for all workers in the care sector and better support for training and staff.

These measures will help increase the motivation of the workforce and reduce the high turnover rates in the sector. They will also allow for more people to be cared for with dignity and compassion in their own homes, resulting in fewer admissions to hospital and relieving the pressure on our NHS.

With an ageingpopulation and with more people suffering from complex and multiple conditions, the vital role that our care workers fulfil will become all the more important in the years ahead.  I hope we can all work together in the New Year so that by next Christmas the social care workforce will get the fair deal they deserve.